


WAVE

by utopyeo



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Romance, F/M, Model, Sexual Tension, Shoujo, Tsundere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2020-08-11 10:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 26,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20152474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/utopyeo/pseuds/utopyeo
Summary: in which a girl from the city falls in love with a boy from an oceanside town.Yeseul is a popular teen model from Seoul, but due to her father’s occupation, she has to move to Pohang, a small city by the sea. She struggles to adapt to her new surroundings and school life. Feeling frustrated, she escapes to the ocean, where a fateful encounter with a mysterious boy sweeps her away into the world of young love.





	1. WAVE

18.

The age of invincibility. You can get away with anything when you’re this young. It’s that point of your life where you feel like you know everything there is to know. You can get your hands on anything your beating heart desires. After all, youth knows no limits.

What a naive girl I was back then. I was so blinded by my own desperation that I failed to realize that it took every ounce of confidence within my being to have him.

I was searching for an inexplicable feeling that summer. That feeling of rising back up to the surface after swimming in the deep. Flipping your hair back and rubbing your eyes. The loving warmth from the sun and the cold waves biting at your bare skin. What I wanted was to breathe again.

Until I found my oxygen in him.


	2. BEGINNING OF THE END

I started modeling when I was 15. Until then, I didn’t know anything about the fashion world, nor did I have any interest in it whatsoever. But after a couple of photoshoots and commercials, I gradually came to like what I was doing. All you had to do was wear pretty clothes and smile into the camera of some photographer who claimed to know what he was doing.

Most of my childhood consisted of going to two equally dreadful places: school and the doctor’s. Somehow, the food that I ate always found its way back up. As a result, I never gained any weight. I lost it more than anything. This seemingly never-ending cycle of vomiting and eating lasted until sixth grade, when the doctors finally found a cure for this odd condition that I had. Up to that point, I had tried all kinds of treatment methods, from pills to ginseng to acupuncture. Obviously, my trial-and-error kind of life wouldn’t be complete without side effects, which manifested themselves in the form of demonic elementary school kids. They were the kinds of kids who sought pleasure in terrorizing others by stealing lunch money or kicking sand into people’s eyes. I was a plaything for these kids. Kids who thought it was funny to give you names like “toothpick” and ask what color your pills were today.

Strangely enough, all of the teasing and mocking vanished into thin air once I entered middle school. By that time, I had managed to achieve a reasonably healthy weight for my age and height. Things seemed to be going smoothly.

After I started modeling, people started talking to me and wanting to be my friend. Even the very way they looked at me changed.

I was no longer just Yeseul. People knew me as Yeseul from the teen fashion magazines or Yeseul from that one commercial.

I didn’t know what it was that people liked about me so much. I was awkward, plain, and quiet. I wasn’t at the top of my class, nor was I at the bottom. I was just there.

I spent my high school years maintaining good relations with everyone. I was never close with anyone since I was busy juggling my academics and my career. Everyone was either a classmate or an acquaintance.

By senior year, I found myself used to the flashing lights and the glare of the lens. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed doing something.

Just as I was about to reach the peak of my career, my happiness came to an abrupt end.


	3. INTRO : LONG JOURNEY

“We’re moving!”

I dropped my backpack on the floor.

“What?!”

“Remember when I went to visit your grandmother last week? Well, she fell down the stairs and now she’s not well enough to run her restaurant,” my dad explains.

“So your dad and I have decided that we should move to Pohang to help run her business while she recovers,” my mom chimes in.

“But what about my modeling?”

“You’re going to retire! After all, we did oppose the idea from the very beginning,” he exclaims.

“Without asking me what I want? Dad, this is so unfair!”

“Life is unfair, Yeseul-ah. You need to learn how to accept certain things and just move on,” my dad sighs, patting me gently on the shoulder.

“But what about Yubin? Doesn’t he want to stay here?” I ask, fumbling for any excuse or reason to dissuade my parents.

At that moment, Yubin walked out of his room with his Pororo roller bag in hand and a toothy grin plastered on his face.

“I’m done packing!”

“See? He’s all ready to go! Now go pack your belongings because we’re leaving in an hour.”

And just like that, whatever dreams or hopes I had were shattered.


	4. SUNRISE

The entire car ride, I was looking out the window, daydreaming of what could have been. The farther we drove, the less buildings there were, the more grassy fields we saw. We were no longer in the city; we were in the middle of nowhere. 

;

“Welcome to our new house! If you knew how old this place was, you’d be surprised.”

My dad’s eyes were practically sparkling. On the one hand, it made me happy to see him so glad to be home. But I couldn’t stop sulking. After leaving everything behind in Seoul, all that I felt was throbbing regret and frustration.

“Here in the countryside, you can see how beautiful the stars in the sky are. It’s such a wonderful city,” he gushes with admiration.

All that we saw were mountains, forests, and old houses. Where were the shopping centers and people my age? How was I supposed to enjoy my summer vacation without any form of entertainment?

“... You’re joking right?” I deadpanned.

;

“_Yeseul… Yeseul!_”

I woke up to the sound of my mom’s voice calling my name from afar. My eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to the blinding sunlight that was peeking in through the window. I felt myself mumbling, questioning the surroundings which I was still not used to.

“Hm? Where am I?”

“Wake up! It’s time to eat breakfast. Also, do me a favor and play with Yubin for a bit. Your dad and I have to set up the restaurant soon.”

“Where would we go though? Is there even anything for us to do out here?” I groaned.

I turned around, getting ready to fall back asleep when the sound of excited little footsteps echoes in the hallway.

“Noona! Let’s go to the beach!”

“Hope you two have a nice time! Be safe and call us if you need anything.”

My eyes landed on my brother, who was already in swim trunks and flip flops. I walked over to him and bent down, petting his hair.

“Do you really want to go?” I asked.

“Mhm! I’ve been wanting to practice my swimming skills and make friends with the crabs,” Yubin beamed brightly.

Naturally, I had no choice but to fulfill my brother’s whimsical aspirations. Even if it meant getting a little sand in my shoes.


	5. STAY

The sound of Yubin’s feet splashing around in the water could be heard even from a distance. The sea was a refreshing shade of cerulean and traces of salt could be detected in the crisp air.

“Noona! Look at how clear this water is!”

Despite Yubin’s loud voice, I couldn’t hear him. Fleeting memories of going to the beach with my old friends ran through my head like a film reel.

While I was fondly reminiscing alone, my gaze shifted elsewhere, eventually landing on a heavily wooded forest. Unlike the rest of the area, it was closed off by a no-trespassing sign and rusty barbed wire.

_I wonder why… it looks creepy._

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Yubin tapped me on the shoulder.

“Can we go now? I’m hungry.”

“Sure, what do you want to eat?” I smiled.

“Hmph, I’m craving mul naengmyun right now.”

“I think dad mentioned a naengmyun house nearby, let's go check it out.”

;

After walking a few blocks away from the beach, my brother and I arrived at the restaurant at last. Just as we were about to enter, a middle-aged woman in an apron greeted us at the front door.

“Oh my, aren’t you that young model from K Magazine?”

I nodded, but before I could respond, she cut me off.

“Come in, come in! Who would’ve thought that a celebrity would ever visit our family restaurant?”

“Actually, I’m not-”

“Minyoung-ah! Come greet our guests!”

Shortly after a series of hurried thuds from the staircase, a petite girl who looked about my age showed up.

“Hi there, I’m Yeseul. I just moved here from Seoul.” I waved shyly.

“Heol… is it really you?” she gaped, scanning me up and down.

“It’s nice to meet you, Minyoung.” I extended my hand towards her. She shook it gently. I couldn’t decipher that expression in her eyes. Was she starstruck?

“You’re so… CUTEEEE! You look even prettier in real life!” Minyoung squealed while jumping up and down frantically.

“Thank you, I-”

“OMG this is so amazing! I can’t believe I’m going to school with a superstar now!”

“Ahaha, superstar would be an exaggeration. I was only a part-time model, after all. Unfortunately, I had to quit since we moved here.” I scratched the side of my arm awkwardly.

“Aww, really? That’s too bad…”

“Yeah, but what can I do about it?” I laughed and shrugged my shoulders.

After exchanging small talk, Minyoung’s mother led us to a table, where Yubin and I sat down. We briefly skimmed over the menu before ordering some naengmyun.

“Wait, so you live in Chilpo-ri, right?” Minyoung asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Oh, that means you live near Yeo’s house…” she trailed off.

“Yeo?”

“Yeah… he’s super popular with the girls around here. He rejects at least six girls every month.” Minyoung leans in and lowers her voice. “Word has it that he hangs out with gangs.”

_Gangs?_

“From your place, you can probably see this huge house sitting on top of a hill. That’s where Kang Yeosang lives. I visit his home occasionally cos my mom makes me deliver her homemade food to his family.”

“I see…” I mused.

_This “Yeo” guy seems to be pretty well-known. But why does he hang out with those people? I should probably avoid him since he hangs out with bad influences…_

“Yeseul.”

I turned around and saw Minyoung’s mother.

“It’s closing time now, sweetie.”

“Already?”

_Time sure does fly by when you’re with a friend._

;

After we finished eating, Minyoung kindly offered to walk me and my brother back to our house. Just as I was about to head inside, she yelled my name.

“Yeseul!”

“Huh?”

“Did you know there’s an ocean behind your house?”

I nodded slowly, trying to figure out what she was going to say next.

“Well, it’s advised that you don’t go into the waters because a god lives there. Everyone says it’s very dangerous.”

My mind recalls the eerie no-trespassing zone from earlier. I assumed the ocean was beyond the gate.

“However, if you look at the ocean from the other side at night, it’s really beautiful. I can show you next time!”

Minyoung grabbed my hands and folded them in her own, smiling at me.

“Yeseul, welcome to Pohang.”


	6. CRESCENT

“I’m home.”

I took off my shoes at the doorstep and started walking up to my room.

“Where have you been off to? You left your phone behind, too.”

I checked my phone and was welcomed by 14 missed calls.

_Why are there so many? _

“When you’re done checking, come down and help out! There’s going to be a large party today and we need as many hands as we can get!” my mom shouted.

;

“I would love to, but I have to ask my parents first…”

“_We think you have the perfect image for our new concept. We’d really love for you to be our model._”

“Thank you for the kind offer, but I just moved to the countryside and it would be impossible for me to commute all the way to Seoul-”

“_Yeseul, do you want to quit your modeling career?_”

“No, but-”

“_Then listen to me very carefully. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you shouldn’t refuse. If things go well, you could be walking on the world’s most famous runways._”

“Um… I’m not sure… my grandma’s just barely recovering…”

“_We’ll have one of our staff members escort you to and from Seoul. What’s there to worry about?_”

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say.

“I’ll think about it, I need to ask my parents first.”

“_Okay, hope to hear from you soon-_”

I hung up as soon as I could. I didn’t need more things cluttering my mind. Here I was, struggling to adjust to my new home while watching my dreams scatter away into dust. After moving to Pohang, it felt like I hit the ‘reset’ button on the game that is my life, which is why there was nothing more tempting than a chance for me to resurrect my destiny in the spotlight.

;

I woke up to the sound of loud laughter and chattering. I got up from my bed and glanced at the clock. It was 4 a.m.

_I must have fallen asleep earlier… _

“Yeseul-ah! Come down and help me serve these customers!”

Even my mom’s plea for assistance slipped away from me. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to be able to control my body. My feet were dragging me elsewhere. I was merely following.

_What’s this feeling? _

I found myself back at the beach from earlier, except this time, I was walking beyond the restricted zone.

A heavy gush of wind made me realize that I was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and flip flops. Despite the cold weather, I kept making my way towards the sound of harsh waves crashing on rocks.

_Who cares about Seoul… I’ll get used to this place sooner or later… everything will be fine… _

There was something about that place that gravitated me to the sea in the middle of dawn. I didn’t know what it was but it was pulling my body forward.

Upon hearing a sequence of splashing noises, I gazed deeply into the ocean, trying to make out where they were coming from.

_The waves look so alive… I can see tiny whirlpools dancing around… maybe there’s fish swimming… _

I treaded lightly on the surrounding rocks and crouched down, burying my face in my hands.

_I don’t understand this place, everything is so unfamiliar. Why do I feel so bad? _

Desperate to get rid of whatever was bothering me, I took a step forward to enter the water when a voice called out to me.

“There’s a god living there so you shouldn’t go into the ocean. It’s dangerous.”

I whipped my head around and stood up, frantically searching for whoever was speaking. That’s when I looked into the distance and saw _ him._

A boy with a face I had never seen before was drifting idly in the waters. It seemed like he owned the entire ocean, a daring and dazzling prince of the blue.

Just as I was about to call out to him, he stood up, revealing his bare torso and a pair of white shorts covering his lower half. Although we were both half naked, I didn’t feel the urge to hide myself. In fact, I felt a burning desire to do the opposite. I was so mesmerized by his beauty that I could not take my eyes off of him.

He dashed towards me so suddenly that it caused me to stumble and fall backward onto the rocks. Drops of water from his soaking hair fell onto my face like a string of pearls from a necklace coming undone. The moment our eyes met one another, the turbulent waves immediately went still. His bewitching stare and blond hair drew me in, like I was just some bait waiting for him to consume me whole. The way he looked at me sent me into a whole other world unknown. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

His presence was so powerful that it overwhelmed my senses. Nothing was coming out of my mouth. All I could do was stare at him. He bent down and raised his index finger, pressing it to his lips.

“Don’t tell anyone.”

It took a few minutes for me to register his words. I was utterly entranced. By the time I fully woke up from his spell, he was already long gone.


	7. DESIRE

The following morning, Minyoung kindly offered to walk with me to school.

“Thanks for walking with me. It must have been a long walk from your house to mine.”

“Aw, don’t mention it! Besides, I’ve been meaning to show you something.”

Minyoung pointed at a dark house directly across from us.

“That’s the house I told you about. Yeo’s house.”

“I see…”

The house appeared to loom over the whole town, just like how he looked down upon me the other night. It gave off the same menacing yet enticing vibe as the boy.

“Yeo…”

“Hm?” Minyoung turned her head around.

_I shouldn’t ask…_

“Never mind, it’s nothing.” I suppressed my curiosity and forced a smile instead.

_No, I want to figure it out myself._

_I want to feel it myself._

_I want him all to myself._

;

“This is Yeseul. She moved from Seoul. From today on, she’s going to be a part of our class. As her fellow classmates, it is everyone’s duty to make her feel welcome and treat her kindly…”

The sound of my teacher’s voice gradually drowned out as I scanned the classroom for any sign of the boy I met yesterday. Much to my disappointment, he was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as the teacher left the room, everyone started crowding around my desk and bombarding me with questions.

“Is it true that you’re in a magazine?”

“It’s this one!”

“Where? Show me!”

“Wow! This is awesome!”

“I guess so, but I quit recently,” I laughed nervously, not knowing how to deal with all of the attention.

“What? Why?”

“That’s lame.”

“Ahaha, sorry…” I felt myself shrinking at everyone’s gazes.

“You don’t have to apologize. But why?”

I looked up to see who the voice belonged to: a boy with bright red streaks and animated eyes.

_Might this guy be the infamous Yeosang?_

“It’s impossible to commute from here to Seoul and back.” I explained.

At that moment, a slender, bracelet-clad hand snatched the magazine from the boy’s hands.

“Perfectly skinny. If you have this body, of course wearing clothes is no problem.”

It was _him_.

“Ha, there are so many. Don’t you think so?” he shot me a side glance, his lips curving into a smirk I did not know the meaning of.

“Yeo! What’s up with you?” the boy from earlier lazily hung his arm around the other’s shoulder.

“Now that I’ve met the new girl, my job here is done. Want to go to my house? Let’s finish what we started yesterday.” Yeosang replied coolly.

“Sure, I came here because of that anyways.” His friend hopped off of the desk he was sitting on and started to follow Yeosang.

“Wait Yeo! That’s an insult to Yeseul!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“I bet Sam just wants attention from Yeo!”

“For the millionth time, it’s _San_, not Sam!” the boy chastised his classmate, throwing his fist back in the air.

“It’s alright, San. Let’s just leave.” Yeosang beckoned.

Unable to withstand his rude and callous attitude, I called after him.

“Hey!”

Yeosang stopped at the door and turned around. His eyes were shooting daggers at me.

_“Don’t tell anyone.”_

His words reverberated through my entire being, yet I felt a strong urge to disregard his warning and challenge him instead.

“Is there really a god living there, like you said?” I asked, trying my best to hold eye contact with his intimidating glare.

“So you do know? But I’d be careful if I were you, since the spot near that ancient stand is not the best place to go in…”

Murmurs of confusion and concern echoed throughout the classroom.

“Wait, are you talking about _that_ ocean?”

“That’s dangerous!”

“I heard a couple committed suicide there because the waves were so rough! My father works in a ship around there… what should I do?”

“Some other guys also got in huge trouble for hanging around that area.”

“Yeo, you’ll end up hurting yourself!” San worried.

“You guys shouldn’t copy me and go in there. Take my word for it.” Yeosang scoffed and left without taking a second look.


	8. DAZZLING LIGHT

_A god._

Last night, I felt that I saw one.

But…

_“Perfectly skinny. If you have this body, of course wearing clothes is no problem.”_

In the end, my illusion was shattered and I came to terms with reality. Yeosang was just a stubborn boy who was born in the middle of nowhere.

What surprised me more though was the way the kids in my class were overreacting to his mischief. It almost seemed as if merely mentioning that ocean was taboo.

_“God.”_

_If he’s really out there, he’ll emit a flame prettier than all of the city lights._

;

Before sunset, I decided to take advantage of my free time and explore the town. I was determined to find at least one thing that I might be able to love about Pohang.

After walking downhill past a row of houses and shops, I caught a glimpse of something flickering in the distance. I stopped in my tracks and squinted, trying to make out what was shining so brightly.

I started making my way towards the shore when I heard a familiar voice shout my name.

“Hey you!”

I whipped my head around to find none other than Kang Yeosang, squatting by the water with a fishing rod.

_Ugh, what bad luck._

“Thanks to you, I got busted by the teacher! He even followed me to my house!” he yelled indignantly, cupping his hand to his mouth like a megaphone.

It took me a second to realize why he was so angry at me until I recalled our exchange during class earlier.

“If you know you’ll get in trouble, then why are you fishing here?” I retorted.

Yeosang stared at me intensely for a few seconds before turning around to face the waves.

“You don’t believe in the god, huh?”

“What?”

“There is one. See that?” Yeosang pointed to the no-trespassing zone a couple meters away.

“What about it?" I asked.

“Anyone who enters that area meets a wicked fate. Basically, if you touch any sacred territory, you’ll be punished.”

Upon hearing this, I immediately remembered the events that unfolded last night.

_Wasn’t that where I first encountered Yeosang? Why can’t I remember how I got there in the first place? It doesn’t explain why I found myself in that exact same spot at such an unusual hour…_

“Then why aren’t you being punished right now?” I retaliated.

“I am. My punishment is_ you_.”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed.

He stood up and sauntered towards me until we were only centimeters apart. It was obvious that this boy was trying to intimidate me.

“Ever since you came to this town, things have been taking a turn for the worse. Even the tides have been acting unpredictably!” Yeosang huffed irritably. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I haven’t managed to reel in a single good catch today…” he muttered under his breath.

“Well how about thinking about your actions first before blaming others.” I glared directly at him, searching for any glimmer of guilt in his eyes.

“Ah, are you talking about the other night?” he smirked. “Don’t think too seriously of it, I was just bored.”

“You go inside the ocean because you’re bored?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest dubiously, getting the sense that he was messing with me.

“Ah, I get it. There’s nothing here in this town so you want to experience something new and freaky. Well guess what? There’s something I want to do as well. I want to go back to being a model. This place is so boring!”

“Huh?” he raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“What? Isn’t life all about killing time?”

“Come here for a second. I’ll show you something good.” Yeosang grinned widely.

That smile of his caught me off-guard. It almost felt like Yeosang was an entirely different person from the cold and indifferent one I knew. Strangely enough, the sight of him smiling compelled me to trust him.

“What is it?” I asked, stepping towards him cautiously.

“Now…” he pointed towards the sky.

The sun was beginning to set. Its powerful rays shone over the ocean, separating the horizon into two equally astonishing hemispheres. The shimmering ripples were pleasing to watch. It was like a watercolor painting come to life.

“It’s so pretty.” I whispered in awe.

“Yeah… it’s pretty.”

I was so captivated by the sight before me that I didn’t notice that Yeosang was staring at me intently. When I turned to face him, he stretched out his hand around my shoulder and plunged us both into the sea.

Upon our entrance, the waves welcomed us with a series of loud splashes. When I opened my eyes, everything was blue. The skirt of my dress bloomed in the water like a jellyfish. I tried to swim back up to the surface but I felt a hand grip my ankle firmly, pulling me down even deeper. I squirmed around in an effort to resist this sudden force. Within seconds, I soon found myself inches away from Yeosang’s face, with nothing but a stream of bubbles separating us. He had his hands around my neck, and they felt… _warm_.

Yeosang leaned in and I felt my eyelids slowly shutting, anticipating something… anything…

I didn’t know what I was yearning for, but the next thing I felt was his arm wrapped around my chest as he swam upwards to the surface.

I let out a big gasp, trying to catch my breath and comprehend what had just happened. Yeosang threw his hair back, causing droplets of water to splatter onto my face. At this point, we were wading in the water with our legs accidentally touching each other every now and then. His lips curled upwards, the meaning of which I was unsure of.

;

Only when we were finally on land did I find the strength to talk again.

“What was that for?!” I managed to choke out, still coughing up the salty water I had swallowed.

“Ah, since you went in the ocean, you’ll get punished too. If not, the ocean might get mad and kill someone else, all because of you.”

“What are you talking about? You also went in!”

“Stupid. It’s okay for me to play in the ocean or the mountain.” Yeosang took his shirt off casually, revealing a pale and slender frame.

“I can do whatever I want in this town.” he leaned forward, extending his hand. I instinctively raised my arms up in defense, scared of what he might do next.

“I’m joking. The real reason I drowned you is because if I offer a virgin to the sea gods, the tides will calm down, like the legend of Shim Cheong.” he laughed. He was obviously enjoying this too much.

I got off my knees and stood up, regaining my composure. I was growing tired of his tricks.

“You said you were bored. That’s why I played along with you. Don’t get any funny ideas.” I warned, glancing back at him.

I walked away from him in my now soaking wet dress, when I saw it again: the light from earlier. He was swimming again, performing a backstroke ever so gracefully with his slim arms.

_Why does the light only shine on him? It’s so… mystical._

_It burns where he touched me… I feel… weird…_


	9. SAY MY NAME

I found myself lying on a bed of water. The soft undulation of the waves was enough to lull me to sleep, reminiscent of how a crib rocks a baby. Thanks to the sunlight, the brisk water felt like a warm embrace. I raised my hand and examined it in the sky, partially blinded by the solar rays peeking in between the cracks. It almost looked like the sun was interlocking its fingers in between mine.

_ Ah… My body is floating in his light. _

This state of complete tranquility only lasted for a short period of time until I felt myself sinking into the ocean. Within seconds, I was completely underwater. But for some reason, I wasn’t drowning or struggling for air. In fact, I was actually able to breathe even beneath the surface. I looked around, searching for any sign of life when I was met with a familiar pair of deep brown orbs. They seemed to pierce a hole in mine and sent chills down my spine.

_ “If the god wakes up, you’ll get punished.” _ Yeosang’s voice reverberated throughout my entire being. He lowered his gaze but never broke contact with my eyes. There it was again, that cunning smile of his.

_ What is he thinking? _

I felt my eyes starting to flutter. My field of vision was getting blurry and Yeosang’s face was out of focus. The last thing I felt was his hands around my neck.

_ “Well, it doesn’t really matter. I want to…” _

I opened my eyes and woke up in a daze, not knowing what to make of my strange dream. I had my hand stretched out in front of me as if I had been trying to grab something out of reach.

_ I want to? What do I want? _

;

Ever since that day, I haven’t seen or talked to him. For the next few days, I took the long way home just so I could possibly run into Yeosang again at the beach. But he wasn’t there. Nothing happened.

As I was walking back home from another day of classes, I tried coming up with possible reasons for his sudden disappearance.

_ He might be busy with schoolwork or hanging out with his friends _ , I mused. I laughed to myself, finding it hard to imagine Yeosang sitting down and doing homework.

_ Oh, well. He might be busy. Since he won’t talk to me, I guess I’ll have to approach him instead.  _

I halted in my footsteps.

_ But talking to him first feels like I’m losing! Wait… Why am I even worried about him in the first place? _

Just like that, whatever lingering thoughts I had about Yeosang evaporated into thin air, like foaming bubbles in the sea.

;

“Kang Yeosang!”

When the door slid open, the teacher’s voice roared, bouncing off the walls of the classroom and startling us all. My attention was immediately diverted to the boy standing in the doorway. There he was, with his signature icy and detached gaze. Besides his slightly undone white button-down, nothing about him seemed disheveled or rushed at all.

“Do you have any idea what time it is right now?! Stand up for the rest of the day, you don’t have the privilege to sit at a desk!”

Yeosang was unfazed and proceeded to take a seat at his usual isolated spot in the corner by the window.

“Yeo, did something happen? It can’t be a coincidence that you came exactly during break time,” our classmate Wooyoung asked in a voice that was more curious than concerned.

“Did you miss the bus because you fell asleep? I heard you usually wake up at 4 a.m.” San snickered, teasing his classmate.

“That’s right. I opened my eyes and there I was at the terminal. So I ate their famous tteokbokki and came back.” Yeosang explained, slouching back in his seat and shoving his bracelet-clad hands in his pockets.

“What the heck, Yeo! You ate tteokbokki  _ without me _ ?! And you call yourself a friend!” San huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

“Hey, you two! Don’t talk to him, he’s a bad influence!” the teacher reprimanded San and Wooyoung.

“Aren’t you living with your relatives right now, Yeosang?” Minyoung asked over her shoulder, occupied on braiding my hair into pigtails from behind.

“Yeah, he always gets sent there whenever he does something wrong, like going in the ‘God’s Ocean.’” Wooyoung giggled.

While all of this commotion was taking place in the room, Yeosang was staring out the window with an expression I couldn’t decipher. It seemed like he didn’t care about what everyone was saying about him.

“Yeosang’s parents own that old cottage house. I also heard that they can read your fortune as well.”

_ Old cottage house? Oh, it must be that dark house Minyoung pointed out to me before. _

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I didn’t even notice all of the attention I was suddenly receiving. A group of girls in my class started to swarm around me and Minyoung, fascinated by how quick her nimble fingers were braiding my hair.

“Ah! That looks fun, I want to try it as well!”

“Me too!”

“You’re so lucky to have such nice, long hair, Yeseul!”

“Have you settled down in this town yet?”

  
“If you have any questions or concerns, just ask us!”

“This school’s so small that there is only one class per grade. So it looks like we’re stuck together, hehe!”

“Yeseul’s the best transfer student! Every girl wants to be your friend.”

“Aw, thank you. I’m so happy to know all of you! Everyone’s so kind and sweet.” I smiled, feeling welcomed by all of the beaming faces around me.

Just as Minyoung was finishing up the last of my braids, the main bell rang, signaling that break time was over. Subsequently, the chattering and livelihood of the classroom was brought to an end. After saying bye to everyone in the room, I followed Minyoung outside into the hallway.

“Let’s hurry! We don’t want to be late to our next class!” Minyoung urged, grabbing me by the wrist and rushing us down the corridor.

On the way, I was eagerly listening to Minyoung rave about some idols she had seen in a magazine yesterday. However, my attention was immediately diverted when I heard some murmuring voices say my name from behind.

  
“Wow, Yeseul’s arms and legs are super long… It’s kind of freaky,” someone whispered.

“Looks like she has Medusa’s hair or something,” another girl snickered.

I turned around and looked back at the two girls standing in the hallway.

“Medusa’s hair?” I questioned.

Both of them looked startled and their gazes began to wander, looking everywhere but me.

“Oh, we didn’t mean anything bad by it. Don’t worry about it!”

“Yeah… it just means that it suits you!”

“Probably because she’s a model, right?”

“Mhm! She sure has good hearing too, haha,” they chuckled awkwardly.

Coming from Seoul, being a model, and now, having good hearing… For some reason, all the things that everyone’s been saying felt like they were mocking or looking down upon me. I started to feel paranoid and incredibly out of place. Sure, I was used to receiving attention, but this wasn’t the same. It kind of worried me how I became the subject of almost everyone’s conversations at school. What’s worse is that there was no way of knowing whether they liked me or not. This chain of thoughts ran through my head until I eventually stumbled upon the most pressing question of all.

_ What did Yeosang think about me? _

_ Does he even think about me at all? _


	10. PROMISE

Recently, I started hanging out at Minyoung’s place with some of our classmates. Since I’m stuck in Pohang now, I figured that I may as well try making more friends.

“Tada! The latest edition of MiMi’s spring catalogue!” Minyoung waved the magazine around eagerly.

As soon as Minyoung sat down at the table, all the other girls circled around her.

“What? It’s Yeseul on the cover?!” Hani asked, mouth agape in disbelief.

“I want to see it too!” Yoojung peeked over Minyoung’s shoulder.

“The pictures are so beautiful!” Seonyoung exclaimed.

“Thanks…” I muttered shyly, amused by the sight of my friends wearing awestricken expressions on their faces.

_“The agency called. Didn’t you tell them that you quit?”_ I remembered my dad’s words from earlier this morning. I groaned internally, feeling sweats of guilt trickle down my face.

_We actually ended up scheduling a photoshoot this month, so not yet…_

The reason I was reluctant to give up my modeling career was because it was the last piece of my identity that I could hang onto. After leaving all of my friends and agency behind, I was struggling to find meaning and purpose in my life. If I was no longer a model, I would be no more special than any other person in this town. I didn’t want that.

“Did you also buy those clothes in Seoul? You always wear such cute clothes!” Minyoung gushed, honey dripping from her eyes.

“No, I actually bought these from a cheap thrift store in Myeondong-” I started before Yoojung cut me off.

“MYEONGDONG! That’s so cool! We’ve only seen that place on TV…” she sighed, resting her petite face in her manicured hands.

“AHHH! This is _so_ cute! I’ve always wanted a bag from this brand,” Hani pointed to a page advertising a handbag that almost every “it girl” carried around in Seoul.

“I bet Yeseul already has one, huh?” Minyoung pouted with envy.

“Too bad we can’t buy anything like this in Pohang… It seems like we’re always confined to the boundaries of this small town.” Seonyoung murmured, lowering her gaze in resignation.

In an effort to break the sudden, solemn atmosphere, I spoke up timidly.

“Well… I guess I could ask one of my stylists to see if they happen to own any extras-”

Before I could finish, the girls circled around me and pleaded in unison. They didn’t need to say anything more. The glimmer in their eyes told me how desperate they were. It almost seemed as if they were begging for a drop of water in a scorching hot desert. In that moment, it felt like I was watching a reflection of my inner self. So uncanny was the resemblance that I felt a smile slowly creeping onto my lips. Except it wasn’t a thing I was thirsting after.

It was Yeosang.

;

“Please!”

“Four bags?”

“Please just do me this one favor! My new friends really want those purses and they don’t sell them here.”

“Okay I’ll try, but it’s only this one time!”

“I’m sorry for troubling you, thank you-”

“But, on one condition. You must work with us again when you come back to Seoul. Right now, the headquarters refuses to take your name off the roster.”

_That means I’m still in demand as a model!_

“Of course! That makes me so happy…”

;

As expected, both of my parents were against the idea of me continuing to model.

“What?! You’re going to Seoul to work during the weekends?”

“Isn’t it better to play with your friends here instead?”

It’s fine. I knew they’d say that anyways. After all, Pohang and Seoul were practically on opposite ends of the country. I understood that it takes a lot of time to commute back and forth. But even so, if I continue to lay down and stay quiet like this, I’ll be a townsperson in no time.

My body and soul will eventually blend in, until I’m simply a mirror image of everyone else in this oceanside town.

;

The light that he radiated was even brighter than the flash on the camera that I was so accustomed to. I remember my eyes starting to sting if I looked in his direction for too long. In that respect, Yeosang was just like the sun: he doesn’t try to stand out, his mere presence is enough to blind whoever lays eyes on him.

But I also disliked the sun. It burns holes into the back of your head and reminds you how small and insignificant you actually are compared to its massive glory. Not to mention that it also watches you everywhere you go, sometimes beneath a facade of thick clouds to obscure its true intentions.

That’s how I felt when I was entering the gates to the school this morning. A familiar pair of eyes was surveilling me from across the courtyard. At first, I was determined to keep my head down and ignore his steady gaze, but my resolve disintegrated easily once the impulse to look back overcame me.

I found myself enraptured once again.

There he was, standing five foot eight against the trunk of the sequoia tree. Yeosang’s blond hair was easy to spot in the sea of black hair. As per usual, his white uniform was buttoned down just a bit. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was accompanied by Wooyoung and San on either side of him. It looked as if he was zoning out and not paying attention to his friends’ noisy banter.

Again, Yeosang wore an expression that I couldn’t read. He seemed aloof and unapproachable, yet wistful at the same time. His duality was really something else. Was he doing it on purpose, or was that just his trademark? I couldn’t tell.

“Is that Yeosang? Why is he staring at you like a creep?” Minyoung whispered into my ear.

“Beats me,” I shrugged, trying to brush it off and act indifferent.

“Hngh, lucky you. At least he _looks_ at you, he doesn’t even look my way.”

“Weren’t you just calling him a creep?” I giggled, slapping her shoulder.

Minyoung stopped walking and diverted her gaze to the ground, clenching her books even tighter to her chest.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that-” she faltered.

“I know, I’m just messing with you. Anyways, you should head in first. I’m going to talk to Yeosang for a bit.”

“Oh, um, okay! See you!” Minyoung waved before disappearing inside the double doors.

I turned on my heel and started approaching Yeosang, who was walking in my direction. Before I could say anything to him, San and Wooyoung cheerfully greeted me as they shouted my name. While I got caught up in a conversation with the two, Yeosang brushed past me like a stranger as he walked down the corridor with his hands in his pockets.

_Ouch._


	11. DECLARATION

“Yay!!! Thanks Yeseul, you’re the best!” I was met with the sight of Minyoung and the others, who were cheerfully grinning from ear to ear upon receiving the purses. On the inside, I breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a sense of true acceptance from my new friends.

All the gleeful commotion soon attracted attention from our other classmates in the room.

“Ooh, what’s that?” a short-haired girl pushed up her glasses to get a closer look.

“We asked Yeseul to get this for us!” Hani exclaimed, holding up her new handbag for everyone to see.

“Lucky! Aren’t those pretty rare?”

“Wow, I see the new girl’s already picking favorites,” a girl in the back muttered, crossing her arms.

“What about us, Yeseul?” another voice asked, in a tone that was laced with disappointment.

“Sorry guys, I really wish I could, but the stylist told me I can’t anymore…” I fidgeted with my fingers in my lap and forced a smile, trying to assuage everyone’s displeasure. By now, all the staring was burning holes in the back of my head.

“Hmph, that’s too bad…” someone tsked.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped!” Minyoung laughed awkwardly, waving her hand around as if she was physically trying to break up the tense atmosphere.

_SPLASH!_

Before we knew it, Minyoung’s black knee high socks and ballet flats were drenched. A series of shrieks ensued, causing everyone to jump out of their seats and sending the whole class into panic mode.

“What’s going on?!” Yoojung yelled.

“I bet it’s that stupid Choi San! The boys are playing with water balloons in the hallway!” Minyoung seethed, stomping her soaking shoes in the puddle around her feet.

“Are you sure… this is a water balloon?” Seonyoung crouched down, observing the deflated, rubber object on the floor.

“Ew, what the heck is that?” one of the girls from earlier reeled back in disgust.

“... A condom.” Yoojung answered.

“Wow, it’s my first time seeing a real one.” I accidentally blurted my thoughts out loud.

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of these on the beach floor,” someone snickered next to me.

“HEY!” Minyoung flung the door open and marched out into the hallway.

“Look, the hallway’s flooded!” a voice shouted, pointing to the windows.

Everyone, including myself, rushed outside to see who the culprits were.

At the forefront were none other than Choi San, Jung Wooyoung, and Kang Yeosang. A couple of familiar faces from different classes were behind them, joining in on the battle.

Yeosang was playfully punching Wooyoung for squirting water at him. The mischievous smile on his face told me he was having the time of his life. He’s definitely at his best when he’s misbehaving.

“HA! How do you like that? It’s a KING SIZE!” San flailed his arms around, sticking his tongue out and frightening a group of girls nearby.

“Must be fun…” I looked on, envious of how much the boys were enjoying themselves, as if they didn’t have anything to lose.

“What are you saying, Yeseul?!” Hani grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me.

Just then, the chaos in the corridor was pierced by a high-pitched shriek.

“STOP IT NOW!” Minyoung screamed, clenching her fists by her sides. Her entire face was now a bright shade of crimson.

“Look, the loud one came,” Wooyoung nudged Yeosang.

“It’s about time.” Yeosang’s lips curled upwards deviously before swinging his arm back to hurl a water bomb at the girl.

Before it could land on her, I threw myself in front of Minyoung and shielded her. I felt the uncomfortable sensation of water trickling down my face and uniform, causing me to shiver.

“Yeseul, are you okay?!” Minyoung freaked out, frantically wiping my clothes dry with her hands.

I nodded, gently prying her dainty hands off of my body. I looked up to see Yeosang falter for a second before he let out a laugh, encouraging the others in his posse to do the same.

“What was that for, guys?!”

“Yeah, that was so fucked up!”

Despite my peers’ complaints, the trio continued to bask in their twisted glory and satisfaction.

“Hahaha, we got her right on the face, too!” San doubled over, howling obnoxiously loud.

“Let’s aim for the annoying ones first. Whoever hits the most people wins.” Yeosang declared, raising another water-filled condom in the air.

“Oh yeah!” Wooyoung raised his fist in the air enthusiastically.

“I’m calling dibs on the huge condoms!” some tall guy named Mingi cried out.

“Someone please call the teacher!” Minyoung shouted, her voice ringing loud and clear above the ensuing pandemonium.

“If you hit Minyoung, you get double the points!” Yeosang hollered, making it known to the entire student body that she was his target. I knew he was doing this on purpose, and I was sick of letting him toy around with me and my friends.

It was precisely at this moment that the strings inside of me snapped.

“ARE YOU GUYS DEAF OR JUST STUPID?! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

The moment I exploded, the entire hallway went eerily silent. I could hear everyone’s breathing and the water sloshing around us. Even the boys stopped what they were doing to look at me.

Yeosang whipped his head around and glared at me. I was taken aback by how intimidating and nerve-racking a single look from him could be. I immediately turned my face away to hide the faint tinge of pink emerging in my complexion, only to be bombarded with another water bomb. When it popped, my skin stinged like crazy. The impact of the blow was so great that it left a prominent mark on my left cheek.

Before I could lash out again, Yeosang started walking vehemently towards me.

“Why are you defending these girls? What do you want? Oh, I get it, you want to be a part of their little group?” he jeered.

“What are you saying? You guys were the ones who crossed the line and went too far! Just stop it already!” I yelled back.

Yeosang laughed, his eyes turning into crescents and clapping his hands together. Seeing him laugh so joyfully made me have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was blissful to hear such genuine laughter coming from him, but what hurt me is that I was the one he was laughing at.

After he let it all out of his system, he took a step closer to me.

“You do know that those girls were talking behind your back… right? Aren’t _they_ worse than us?” he tilted his head to where my friends were standing.

Suddenly, everything started to click now: the constant whispering, staring, and snickering. They were all directed at me. What I perceived to be acts of friendliness turned out to be acts of spite.

_“Medusa’s hair…”_

_“She acts like she’s all that just cos she’s from Seoul…”_

_“Guess you don’t have to be pretty to be a model now…”_

I started to feel lightheaded and numb. My hands were shaking profusely and I felt my knees giving out, but I barely managed to keep my ground.

“_Seoul dialect makes me sick!_ What a fucking fox,” chided Yeosang as he scowled at Minyoung.

“Did you really say that, Minyoung?” I turned to look at her, but I was surprised to find that her eyes were brimming with tears.

“I-I didn’t say anything like that! R-Really…” Minyoung stuttered anxiously, avoiding eye contact with me.

“Yeah, don’t listen to him, Yeseul! They’re just an annoying bunch of delinquents and troublemakers.” Hani reassured.

“Everyone run back to class! The teacher’s coming!” someone shouted.

While everyone else started rushing back to their respective rooms, I found myself unable to move. The weight of the shocking revelation was too much for me to bear. I didn’t know how to tell what was true and fake, or who to trust anymore.

It was just the two of us left in the hallway now. I didn’t have to look up to know who the other person was.

“At the very least, you should keep your pride, Yeseul.” Yeosang spoke softly, grasping my shoulder firmly before walking away.

_Maybe I’m just not meant to be in this place. Yeah, that might be it…_

_Why am I even here?_


	12. TWILIGHT

It was 1:30 A.M.

My family was already fast asleep, so they probably wouldn’t notice my absence until morning at the earliest. After packing a few essentials, I swung the messenger bag around my shoulder. I tiptoed stealthily to the front door and made my way outside slowly but surely. Assuming there wouldn’t be any buses this late at night, I opted for the train station instead. Wanting to get to the KTX station faster, I decided to take a shortcut through the forest.

Though I’m usually not the type to get scared easily, I had to admit it was a little eerie walking through the narrow sidewalks alone so late. The only company I had was the sound of the crickets guiding me to the woods.

_I should have done this sooner_, I mentally facepalmed myself.

As I walked further down the maze of tall, thick trees, it was getting increasingly difficult to tell if I was on the right path. Soon enough, I came upon what seemed like an abandoned campsite. I froze in my footsteps when I heard footsteps crunching on leaves. I whipped my head around, frantically searching for the source of the noise, only to find that I was completely alone. My heart started pumping faster, quickly sending me into panic mode.

_Why aren’t there any road signals around here? What if someone’s actually following me?_

I was so preoccupied with thinking about all the dangerous outcomes that I failed to pay attention to where I was heading. My foot got entangled in a thorny bush, causing me to fall over haphazardly. I tumbled down a slight slope until I eventually landed on my back. I laid on the ground for a while, now face to face with the star-studded sky. I didn’t have the energy nor the motivation to stand up. I was scared and tired.

The trees were caving in on me one by one. It felt like they were sucking me into a dark vacuum of oblivion. In other words, I was lost.

I shut my eyes and tried to slow down my breathing. If I wanted to find a way out of this place, I needed a clear mind.

For some reason, I could only think about the events that had unfolded earlier that day. Yeosang and his friends got suspended, and school was cancelled for the next week or so. Due to the careless damage they had done to school property, the administration had decided to take this opportunity to crack down and renovate the entire hallway.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t using this unexpected holiday to run away to Seoul. It was now or never.

Before I knew it, my mind circled back to Yeosang. I let out a sigh of defeat. I gave up trying to fight these thoughts. It was inevitable at this point.

Even after hearing about his troublesome reputation, even though I knew I would get hurt if I  
involved myself with him, for some reason, I was undeniably attracted to him. I wanted to chase after him and prove whatever twisted misconceptions he had about me were wrong.

_He’s not exactly the friendliest person in this town. His attitude’s not that great, either. Why is he so hard to approach anyways? If he just gave me a chance to show him what I’m really like, maybe things would be easier._

_Maybe… just maybe, I could get closer to him. Find out what he likes, what ticks him off, what makes him smile._

_Why he looks at me the way that he does…_

_Ugh, get yourself together! This isn’t the time to be thinking about-_

I flinched when I felt an unfamiliar sensation invade my body. I hastily reached for my bag and turned on my flashlight to see a snake slithering up my legs.

I screamed in sheer terror and shook off the creature, scrambling away from it as fast as I could. The night was even darker now, preventing me from properly seeing where I was headed. After running aimlessly for a minute or two, my wrist got caught in what felt like an unusually strong tree branch.

“LET GO, I DON’T WANT TO-”

“Idiot.”

The tears in my eyes made it hard for me to discern where the voice was coming from. It took me a couple seconds before I could finally make out who I was looking at.

It was him again. I couldn’t mistake that blond hair of his for anyone else. I still couldn’t fathom how he managed to shine despite the fact that our surroundings were pitch black. It was as if the rules of day and night didn’t apply to him, a special exception. Yeosang was currently gripping my arm to the point that I could feel his nails slowly digging into my skin.

“Watch where you’re going. If you look carefully, that side’s a cliff,” he gestured.

I took a good look at the ground and was surprised to see that it was a dead end. There was nothing beyond it except for an infinite and vast expanse of sky.

“Now that I think about it, I keep meeting you in the strangest places.” Yeosang added in an amused tone, shaking his head.

He started strolling back into the woods, with me following closely behind him. On the one hand, I felt relieved that I was no longer alone. But now I was stuck with the one person responsible for awakening all sorts of emotions within me, none of which I could explain nor understand.

When I heard the sound of a hiss, I instinctively held onto his arms, using him as a shield.

“Well, would you look at that? It’s a white snake. You got lucky, Yeseul!” he turned, grinning at me childishly.

“Lucky?! That stupid snake almost bit-”

“Wait… did you cry?”

Yeosang brought his hand to my face and swiped his thumb across my tear-stained cheek. He was looking directly into my eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely concerned or conjuring up more ways to mess with me. The brief silence was broken by a small laugh escaping his lips.

“Pft. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place if you were going to cry,” he spoke, turning on his heel.

“It’s your fault that I’m like this!” I yelled, grabbing him by the shoulder.

“Because of you, everyone thinks I’m an outsider. You made it clear that I’m not wanted here, so I’m going back to Seoul. Take me to the train station,” I demanded.

“Haha, how old are you, seven? I can’t believe you really ran away from home.” Yeosang chuckled, leaning against a tree trunk.

“It’s not funny! You’re seriously the _worst_! Plus, this whole town is so suffocating! There’s only trees and nothing more! No pretty shops, no celebrities, and worst of all, no late night restaurants!” I complained.

“Am I worse than those girls that talked behind your back?” he retorted.

“At this point, everyone’s starting to look the same to me. All of you guys are ganging up on me. The more I talk, the more alienated I feel. I realized that people here act nice to me not because they want to be my friend, but because they all want something from me. If I give them gifts, then they take advantage of my kindness. If I don’t give them anything, then they get jealous. I don’t know what to do anymore.” I crouched down and buried my face in my arms so Yeosang couldn’t see me sobbing.

As I was wiping away my tears with my arm, Yeosang grabbed it and spoke gently.

“You. I get it.”

I looked up at him, wondering if he was finally understanding my troubles.

“You’re hungry.”

“Wh-What are you saying?! I’m not hungry! Because of you, my dinner wouldn’t even go down my throat!” I lashed out.

“Hmph, suit yourself. I’m going to eat the two triangle kimbaps I brought,” he shrugged, unzipping his backpack.

The sound of my crying combined with Yeosang’s chewing made for an interesting symphony of noises. When my tears stopped flowing, I looked up to see a hand holding something in front of me. It was the kimbap.

“Did you make this?” I sniffled, taking the kimbap from him.

“Yeah, sorry the shape’s kind of funny,” Yeosang threw his head back as he drank some water.

I felt a tear slip as I fumbled with the wrapping. I was so moved by his sudden kindness. I didn’t know Yeosang had a soft side.

“Stop crying and just eat already,” he ripped the plastic and shoved the rice into my mouth.

I munched on it slowly, peeling off the grains of rice stuck on my wet cheeks. When I tried to swallow, I choked on the food, causing me to cough uncontrollably.

“Here,” Yeosang sighed as he handed me his water bottle too.

I took it and drank from it, gulping rather audibly. After the kimbap had gone down my throat smoothly, I looked down at the half empty water bottle and felt embarrassed for drinking so much.

I peeked over at Yeosang sheepishly, who was staring off into the distance. He seemed to be contemplating something with his hands clasped together above his knees. For a moment, neither of us said a word, letting the sound of the grasshoppers chirping take over the calm atmosphere.

“You.” Yeosang broke the silence.

“Even if they talk bad about you, it’s better for you to stay here and get used to it. Pretty things don’t change. Isn’t that nice?”

_Pretty?_

I felt my face heat up instantly.

“At least that’s what I think,” Yeosang cleared his throat, immediately diverting his gaze elsewhere.

_I mean if he puts it that way, then I guess running away does seem pretty foolish._

“But since you’re so confident about going to Seoul, you should go,” he stood up.

“Um, actually-” I started, but before I could tell him that I changed my mind, Yeosang cut me off.

“I’ll run away with you,” he looked at me with a deadpan expression. His steady gaze told me that he wasn’t joking.

“Wait, what?” I sputtered.

“Since my relatives make me work all the time without giving me much to eat, I’ve decided to escape too. Now, let’s go!” he urged, seizing my hand.

“Are you serious?!”


	13. WITH U

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yeosang looked down at me with an intimidating glare before turning around to walk again.

“I thought about what you said earlier, and I think you’re right. I mean, I did say I wanted to run away, but I said it out of frustration,” I panted, struggling to keep up with his swift strides.

“You have to understand that people get excluded all the time, including me. When a new person shows up in town, it’s normal, you know, here and even in Seoul. So it doesn’t really matter where you run off to because it’s all the same. Doesn’t hurt to change up the scenery every once in a while,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“Well, it’s not that I dislike this place… but if there’s at least one person by my side, maybe it would make living here more bearable and less lonely,” I admitted.

By the time I looked up, Yeosang was already ascending a flight of cobblestone stairs. He was climbing them effortlessly, meanwhile I was still trying to catch my breath at the very bottom.

“How can you walk so quickly in the dark?” I heaved.

Yeosang stopped to look back at me while I slowly made my way up.

“Simple. I’m taller than you,” he boasted.

When I finally reached the top of the stairs, I was greeted with an eerie-looking wooden shed covered in vines.

“It’s called the ‘Moon River’ shrine. Out of all the shrines in our land, I like this one the best,” he explained.

“It’s so small… but a bit scary.”

“That’s what I like about it! Isn’t it exciting?” Yeosang’s eyes lit up.

“I guess so.”

“Now, let’s pray for our safe travels together.”

Kneeling before the shrine, he clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. Seeing this side of Yeosang made me forget about the mischievous boy I was so familiar with. It was almost ironic how quickly he changed from being taunting to spiritual.

“Don’t you think that praying is unnecessary?” I doubted, watching him from behind.

Yeosang didn’t answer, for he was too immersed in sending a prayer to some unknown deity. I was never one to believe in religion or salvation, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.

After a few more seconds passed, Yeosang got up and brushed his knees before walking toward me.

“This land belongs to our ancestors. It just so happens that I’m the most handsome descendant of the people who built that shrine.”

_Handsome? Psh._

His words reminded me of what Minyoung had said about his family’s history.

_“Yeosang’s parents protect the shrine. He’s their only son, which means he’ll inherit their entire estate and fortune. Whoever marries him will be so lucky.”_

Huh, so she wasn’t bluffing about Kang Yeosang being well-known in Pohang. It seems like he’s actually a pretty big deal around here.

_“I can do whatever I want in this town.”_

That also explained his carefree (might I even say reckless) attitude and why he seemed so confident in everything he did. However, unlike the rich and perfect flower boys I was so used to seeing in Seoul, there was a different aura about Yeosang. He wore baggy shirts or wrinkled button-downs with ripped shorts or jeans. He wasn’t exactly what you would imagine a future heir to look like. Yet he was still alluring in his own unique way.

Looking at Yeosang, I realized how naturally beautiful he truly was. His face was rather small for someone his age. Unlike his dainty visage, his features were sharp and prominent, particularly his nose and jawline. Just below his left eye was a pigmented birthmark that I didn’t really notice until now. Maybe that’s why he was so unforgettable. Or maybe it was the way his dark eyebrows framed his dramatic eyes perfectly. Or how his blond hair always stood out in a sea of plain black. In other words, I found it impossible to take my eyes off of him.

Suddenly his nonchalant words, his cool and collected attitude made sense… everything seemed to connect now.

“Are you still listening?” Yeosang’s deep voice snapped me out of my momentary introspection.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I texted my chauffeur and asked him to drive us to Seoul. I told him to meet us at the bus stop over there,” he pointed to a lonely bench not too far away from where we were standing.

For a second, I forgot I was running away with an heir.

;

The tinted window rolled down to reveal an elderly man with rectangular glasses.

“Young master Kang! You called me here so late, _and_ I see you have a pretty miss with you as well,” he chuckled heartily, tilting his glasses down to get a better look at me.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Mr. Kim. She’s a cousin who lives in Seoul. If we don’t get there by morning, our parents will be worried. Since we have school off, I decided to tag along with her.”

“Ah, is that so? As expected, all the good genes come from the Kang family. Here I was thinking you were going to go to a love hotel,” Mr. Kim joked, earning a laugh from Yeosang.

I didn’t know what I was more shocked about: the fact that he called me his cousin or how he was able to lie so casually. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had gone through this routine with other girls too. Moreover, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what it would be like to spend the night with Yeosang. I felt my face heat up out of embarrassment and internally cursed myself for harboring such indecent thoughts.

After Mr. Kim took our belongings and placed them in the trunk, Yeosang and I hopped in the backseat. The interior of the car was quite small, leaving little to no room between us.

The old man eyed us suspiciously from the rearview mirror. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. I looked over at Yeosang instead, who had already fallen asleep. His head was hanging next to my shoulder. While I carefully studied his face, I couldn’t fathom how or why I kept crossing paths with him. It was as if everything was predetermined somehow.

Slowly, I felt my eyelids getting heavy and before I knew it, a wave of fatigue had washed over me completely.


	14. END OF THE BEGINNING

I was awakened by the feeling of someone shaking my shoulders and a pair of cold eyes staring back at me. By the time Yeosang woke me up, we had already arrived in the city. Never had I felt so glad and relieved to be back in my hometown. Once we both climbed out of the car, I was greeted with fresh air and the sight of pedestrians. All kinds of people were crossing the street in a hurry, from office workers to high school students to preschoolers, whose tiny heads bobbed up and down as they tottered alongside their parents. For a moment, it felt as if the world was moving for everyone except the two of us.

“I can’t believe I’m actually here.” I stared up at the towering skyscrapers in awe, using my hand as a shield against their heavy glint.

“You’re acting like a country girl who’s never been to Seoul,” he scoffed, looking away from me.

“Says the guy who’s dressed like a bum,” I shot back, eyeing his apparel up and down.

When I didn’t hear him respond, I turned around to see him thanking Mr. Kim for driving us.

“Young love is important but make sure to return home soon! Your folks are probably worried right now,” the older man laughed before waving goodbye and driving off.

_Guess he didn’t fall for Yeosang’s lie after all._

;

Since we were in Seoul, we decided to take this opportunity to go sightseeing. We walked around Namdaemun Market, marveling at all of the delicious food that numerous vendors were selling. I had to refrain from spending what little money I had on hotteok and oden skewers. All of a sudden, we came to a stop when Yeosang raised a hand with a serious expression on his face.

“I smell fried chicken,” he sniffed and started to run off somewhere.

“Wait! We should stick together!” I called after him.

“Whoever gets there last has to buy!” he shouted, showing off a wide grin.

“What?!”

The entire time I was following him from behind, not once did Yeosang blend in with the people around him. Just like how I saw him swimming in the sea, he was sliding through the bustling crowd effortlessly. It was easy to spot where he was, even from afar. I found it astonishing how he was able to stand out without even trying.

_As if he was swimming._

As expected, the source of the scent came from a fried chicken restaurant. By the time I had caught up with Yeosang, he had already figured out what to order.

_Damn, this boy was fast._

After we sat down at an empty table in the corner, an employee who looked around our age took our orders on a tablet, tapping away furiously as Yeosang’s list went on and on.

“Geez, you ordered so much!” I gasped at the amount of chicken that appeared on our tables.

“Hey, the loser doesn’t have the authority to complain,” he tsked before biting into a chicken sandwich.

I couldn’t help but look on as Yeosang devoured everything, including the chicken nuggets, drumsticks, and potato wedges. At one point, he started choking and pounding on his chest, prompting me to hand him my glass of coke.

“Slow down, no one’s chasing after us,” I giggled upon seeing how red his complexion had turned.

Before I could take another bite of my sandwich, Yeosang licked his thumb and reached over, swiping the lower left corner of my mouth. What shocked me even more was that instead of wiping his hand on a napkin, he licked it clean off.

“Mm, honey mustard. My favorite,” he hummed in satisfaction, leaning back in his seat.

As I continued eating, I noticed how he stared at the window in silence. An emotionless look now occupied his countenance, while his hand supported his chin. In an effort to break up the awkward atmosphere, I spoke up.

“Why do you look so impassive? I mean, since we’re already here, shouldn’t you at least show some excitement?” I asked.

He redirected his gaze toward me and leaned in before folding his hands together beneath his face.

“I don’t have a reason to be. You know, I wasn’t lying when I said I had a cousin living here. I’ve walked laps around this city multiple times,” he gestured.

“Oh…” I sunk back in my chair, feeling stupid and embarrassed for misconstruing his words as a joke.

“Let me guess, you wanted me to be amazed and shocked, huh? In that case…” his voice trailed off knowingly.

My head shot up in anticipation, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“I want to see the place where you modeled at.” Yeosang tilted his head to the side, smiling innocently.

“B-But I thought-” I stammered.

“I want you to make me think, ‘_Damn, this girl’s good_.’ Make me get all worked up and _excited_.” He challenged, emphasizing the last word as his eyes twinkled playfully.

I finally realized the reason why this boy was so intent on coming with me to Seoul.

He wanted to test me.

;

“Yeseul! Where have you been, we missed you!” the stylists greeted me with a hug.

“I’m sorry to cause such a disturbance. I dropped by to say hello.” I bowed my head in front of everyone in the studio.

When I looked up, the first person my eyes focused on was none other than my manager: Park Seonghwa.

I found it odd how he was working as a staff member rather than a full-time model when he was so attractive and charming. Despite meeting all of the criteria for our company’s image of an ideal male model, he stayed humble and decided to take me under his wing instead. Although every now and then, Seonghwa would participate in a few photoshoots at the request of our agency. When I was an amateur model, I had my doubts about whether he would end up abandoning his position as my manager someday. But time and time again, Seonghwa would prove to me how dedicated he was to his job. On countless occasions, he had always handled scheduling conflicts and negotiations with affiliates on my behalf in a neat and timely manner. Everyone who worked alongside Seonghwa praised him not only for his looks, but also for his consistent professionalism. Though I wasn’t entirely certain why someone so brilliant like him stayed by my side throughout my career, one thing was evident: there were absolutely no words to describe how indebted I was to this man.

Today, Seonghwa was wearing a white collared shirt under a striped knit vest and black skinny jeans. His ebony hair was more voluminous and wavy than usual, partially tucked in behind his ear, which showed off a delicate silver chain. He looked more like an idol off duty than a manager.

“Yeseul-ah,” he smiled softly.

“Mr. Park.”

“It’s been so long, you’ve gotten even prettier! But I still haven’t gotten an answer from you. Why’s that?” Seonghwa put his hands on his hips.

“Sorry, I’ve been pretty busy with school and adjusting to my new home. Please give me more time to think over the offer!” I pleaded, rubbing my hands together apologetically.

“Very well. Since you’re here, let’s start working again!”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take anyone’s time away.” I hesitated, looking down at the shiny white marble floor.

“Did you forget how popular you are here? You’re the face of KQ, Yeseul. Now come on!” Seonghwa beckoned me over to the dressing room.

Before I could make my way, all of the staff members had gathered around me, asking all sorts of questions. Everyone’s chattering was soon disrupted by the sound of Yeosang clearing his throat.

“Hello,” his deep voice echoed throughout the spacious room.

Everyone turned their heads to look at Yeosang, who had just drawn attention to himself. Seonghwa was quizzically inspecting the blond male from top to bottom.

“Ah, I forgot! My classmate also came along. No clue why though…” I introduced him, rubbing my arm bashfully.

“Is he your boyfriend?!” one of the stylists exclaimed, raising a hand to her mouth.

“No! It’s not like that,” I shook my hands frantically in denial.

“Hey kid, aren’t you interested in being a model too? Or are you already under a different agency?” Seonghwa coaxed him.

“I’m not interested in that kind of stuff,” Yeosang replied flatly, rolling his eyes.

“That’s a bummer, it would be nice if your boyfriend joined us as well.” Seonghwa teased.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” I shouted, trying my best to maintain a friendly smile amidst the chaos.

“Yeah, he really fits the picture,” the set designer hummed in approval.

“He looks like an idol!” squealed a younger employee, presumably an intern.

While everyone in the studio was busy fawning over Yeosang, who swatted their compliments away like flies, Seonghwa led me to the changing station, where three stylists worked together to come up with an outfit for me to wear. I forgot how tiring this whole ordeal was, having to change in and out of various clothing articles until the wardrobe team finally agreed upon _the ultimate look_. After cycling through several outfits, the stylists decided to put me in a cream-colored maxi dress embellished with cherry blossom petals.

Next, I got my hair and makeup done by Gyuri. Ever since I joined KQ, she always took care of me to make sure I looked my best. She wasn’t much older than me either, so I found it easy to confide in her the most pressing concerns a girl my age could have. The way she moved her brush so dexterously without missing a single spot was comparable to that of a conductor who never misses a single beat as they sway their baton back and forth. In short, Gyuri never failed to surprise me with her exceptional skills.

Today’s concept was supposed to be natural and youthful. Gyuri gradually worked her way down my face with her lithe fingers, dabbing a glossy peach-colored eyeshadow on my eyelids and coral-tinted gloss on my lips. Once she finished applying my makeup, she began straightening the ends of my hair to complete the look.

The entire time I was getting ready, my manager watched me from behind as he sat backwards on a chair, dangling his arms around the front. He had a habit of never taking his eyes off of me, which I assumed he did to ensure things went smoothly.

“Seonghwa-ssi! Hongjoong is waiting at the café downstairs!” someone yelled through the door.

“Ah, I’ll be there in a sec!” Seonghwa shouted before rushing out.

“Who’s that?” I inquired upon hearing the name for the first time.

“Oh, Kim Hongjoong is a famous photographer. He’s going to take your pictures today.” Gyuri explained.

“Ah! I think I’ve heard of him before. He takes female nude pictures, right?”

“Not only nudes, but also portraits for top-tier magazine covers, like yours. I thought the director was bluffing when he said he’d invite him. I can’t believe he actually came here.” Gyuri gushed, her eyes shimmering in excitement.

“You’re good to go now! Thanks for being my canvas once again, Yeseul. Go out there and kill it!” she cheered me on, holding the door open as I exited the room.

Once I stepped out, I heard Yeosang laughing with two female staff members.

“Of course we’ve kissed before-” he chuckled.

“What are you guys talking about?” I interrupted, hoping he wasn’t entertaining them with lies.

His face went blank again as soon as he noticed me.

“Oh, hey.” he uttered.

“Nothing much! We were just asking him about how high school relationships are nowadays,” one of the women beamed innocently.

I looked back at Yeosang, whose eyes were wandering everywhere except me.

;

My photographer turned out to be a stylish-looking lad in his early twenties. He wore a white oversized button-down, black suspenders, and black slacks that stopped just above his ankles. He wasn’t exactly the tallest man in the room, but the charismatic energy he radiated was more than enough to bring attention to himself. His ashy silver hair was a striking contrast to his honey-colored skin.

“Okay, the theme for this photoshoot is ‘Cupid’s Closet.’ All you have to do is act as if you’re lovesick!” Hongjoong flashed me a thumbs up before jogging to get behind the camera.

_What is love? I’m not really sure what it feels like or what it means. Would smiling be okay?_

I saw Yeosang standing beside the camera, watching me intensely. It was intimidating yet strangely comforting to have someone look at me like that. Having him there motivated me to do better.

“Change poses,” Hongjoong commanded as he twirled his ring-clad finger in the air.

_Click. Click. Click._

Each time the flash and shutter went off, my confidence grew more and more. In the past, I was only comfortable with shifting my head to different angles and switching sides, but now, even more sophisticated poses came to me naturally.

No matter how hard I tried to not let Yeosang’s intent gaze sway me, the pressure weighed down my shoulders like a ton of bricks.

_He’s staring at me._

_I can’t concentrate._

_I can’t do it._

“Perfect, that’s exactly the expression I wanted!” Hongjoong flashed me a reassuring smile.

As the sound of his words grew fainter, I felt my consciousness slowly slipping away. My mind kept flying back to the place where Yeosang and I first met: the forbidden sea.

“Okay, excellent work! Let’s wrap up now.” Hongjoong clapped.

“We’re already done?” I questioned.

“Almost! Let’s have you try on one more outfit, Yeseul!” Hongjoong waved his index finger around enthusiastically.

“Oh, okay.”

On my way back to the dressing room, I caught a glimpse of Yeosang, who was observing something seriously with his hands folded in front of his face.

“Mr. Kim, you had such a lovely model just now! I must admit, you truly have an eye for these things,” the editor praised him.

“No need to flatter me, you’re directing your compliments to the wrong person.” Hongjoong grinned modestly, adjusting his suspenders.

“Say, isn’t that the nude album you’re working on? That’s some pretty juicy stuff,” the other man pointed to the book under Hongjoong’s arm.

“I wouldn’t say that’s that the appropriate word to describe-” Hongjoong started.

“Do you get to bang the girls you take photos of?” the editor joked, nudging the other’s shoulder.

It didn’t take long for Hongjoong and the editor to notice that there was a third party eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Can I help you?” Hongjoong eyed the blond male curiously.

“You sure can. Could I see what’s in that book of yours?” Yeosang stretched his hand out, demanding to see it.

“It’s not just a book, it’s a masterpiece. Besides, this isn’t something for a kid like you to see,” the silver-haired male quipped condescendingly, clenching onto the book.

With surprising ease, Yeosang snatched the red book out of the older man’s hands before opening it to examine its contents.

“Huh, all these women have no clothes on. Now I get why you called this a masterpiece. It’s to deceive models like these into exposing their bodies so that scumbags like you can profit off of selling their photos to people who jerk off to shit like this.” Yeosang snapped, his eyes turning darker by the second.

“You’re a funny guy. But I’ll have you know that these models take their clothes off because they want Mr. Kim to take their pictures,” the editor mentioned.

“I see. No wonder so many of them are smiling like that,” the blond male speculated.

“Now if you don’t mind handing it back-” Hongjoong reached for the book.

“But Yeseul can’t do this.” Yeosang cut him off.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened momentarily before he took a step toward Yeosang and smiled disdainfully at the latter.

“And why is that?” he cocked his head to the side.

“She’s _mine_.”


	15. OUTRO : LONG JOURNEY

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm? For what?”

“It’s almost time for me to catch my train. I think I better go.” I lied, stepping away from the stylist to collect my belongings.

After seeing the outfit that Hongjoong had wanted me to change into, I wanted to leave as quickly as possible. The ensemble was much too revealing for me to handle. Never had I seen an outfit so provocative in my entire modeling career. I couldn’t possibly wear so little in front of people whom I cared so much about. Plus, my parents would disown me if they saw photos of me wearing nothing but a sheer bustier.

“Well, if that’s the case, I guess I have no choice but to let you go. Just promise me you’ll drop by more often. Okay, sweetheart?” she flashed a friendly smile at me.

I nodded before bowing my head and making my way out of the room. But something didn’t sit right with me. It felt as if something had changed. This wasn’t the type of modeling that I was used to doing. All I knew is that I no longer felt comfortable, and what I wanted most was to return to the familiar: _him_.

“Yeo.” I tapped his shoulder.

Yeosang whipped his head around and his eyes widened. He seemed surprised that I changed back into my normal clothes instead of wearing the outfit Hongjoong had told me to.

“Let’s go home.” I lowered my head, tugging the sleeve of his shirt lightly.

A brief silence ensued before Yeosang regained his composure and responded.

“Okay.”

Before we could leave, someone stepped in front of us and blocked the exit.

“Wait Yeseul, we still have to talk!” Hongjoong exclaimed, gazing directly into my eyes.

“A-About what?”

“C’mon, it’s our first encounter. What’s the rush?” he splayed his arms out languidly, a pleasant expression playing upon his prominent features.

“I’ve been observing you for a while now, and today was the first chance I got to lay eyes upon your beauty in person. You know, for a 17-year-old, I didn’t know you would look so adult-like.” the silver-haired man eyed me up and down, his lips curling upward as he spoke.

Before I could comprehend what he was trying to say, Yeosang smacked Hongjoong’s head from behind with what appeared to be a book. Hongjoong landed on the floor with a harsh thud.

“Mr. Kim!” the editor rushed forward to help the photographer.

When I looked up, I saw Yeosang leering at him with the book held in his hand. I couldn’t tell if it was anger or some other emotion that suddenly made his eyes look so menacing.

Yeosang dropped the book before grabbing my wrist and running. A beautiful blend of exciting sensations immediately took over me: the lightness of my feet matching the agility of his, the comforting grip of his hand around mine, and the loose thread of his bracelet brushing against my wrist.

Everything made my heart beat faster than I ever thought was possible.

;

After ditching the studio, we found ourselves on the train back home. Yeosang was sitting right next to the window, cupping his face while staring blankly into the dark of the night. We hadn’t spoken a word since we boarded.

Unable to withstand the awkward silence much longer, I brought up the one thing that had been on my mind ever since we left Seoul.

“Why… Why did you hit the photographer?” I faltered as I felt myself growing uncertain.

He stayed quiet, showing no interest or movement whatsoever.

“Stop ignoring me and tell me what the heck you’re thinking!” I demanded, slowly feeling my impatience simmering.

“Hey!” I slid my left leg and gently kicked his right shin. I regretted doing so when Yeosang stomped my foot mercilessly in response.

“Ow! What was that for!” I pouted, rubbing my foot to soothe the pain.

“Just cos… I had some anger towards him. It’s nothing you should be concerned about.” he spoke flatly.

_ It seems like he’s blaming himself now. That’s new. _

“I guess I can cross ‘running away from home’ off my bucket list now. Thanks for coming with me, Yeosang. I… I think we made a good choice to go there.” I changed the subject, sighing in content.

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t get to show you anything awesome to make up for all the times I’ve lost to you. I feel bad.” I giggled softly.

The blond male turned to face me with a curious expression.

“Is something wrong?”

“Why do you think that way? You…” Yeosang paused, studying my face as if he was searching for something. His scrutinizing gaze soon softened as his eyebrows unfurrowed in realization.

“Is that makeup?”

“Oh yeah, I was in such a rush to leave the photoshoot that I forgot to take it off. Looks silly, right?” I laughed nervously, diverting my eyes to the ground.

“Anyways, what were you going to say?” I continued.

“Just… it was just okay.” Yeosang turned back to face forward, bringing his knees into his chest.

“What kind of reaction is that? You’re making me feel worse.” I mumbled, peeking at him sideways. His cheeks were slightly tinged with a rosy layer of pink. Maybe he felt hot.

“I wonder what you would look like if you were a guy.” he commented.

“What do you mean?” I sat up, feeling offended.

Yeosang tugged on a strand of my hair, causing me to wince in pain.

“Stop, it hurts-” I whimpered.

He yanked me forward, leaving only a couple centimeters between our faces. He leaned in, his hot breath tickling my chin. When I realized how close we were, I couldn’t look him in the eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath for whatever he was going to do next.

“You look stupid.” Yeosang sneered, letting go of my hair and shoving me away.

_ Was he playing with me again? _

Whenever I found myself with him, the lines between deceit and sincerity were blurred. It was difficult for me to see which side of him was true, considering how impossible to read his thoughts and intentions. I couldn’t help but feel confused as to what he wanted from me.

As if he saw right through me, Yeosang spoke again.

“People don’t take me seriously. I’m sick of being seen as a good-for-nothing troublemaker. I wanted to do something more mature, like that thing adults call ‘love,’ but it’s stupid. What’s so good about being in love? Fuck! I feel stupid. I shouldn’t have gone with you.” the blond male huffed, leaning back in his seat with his arms behind his head.

“What about all of the girls you’ve rejected? Or so I’ve heard…” I mumbled shyly.

“Ha, your blabbermouth friends told you about that? Why am I not surprised… Contrary to popular belief, none of them have caught my interest in the slightest. Rather, I found it tiresome to deal with since these confessions happened so often. They’re all so plain and painfully obvious to me,” he chuckled, leaning against the window.

I felt myself growing smaller as I mentally chastised myself for believing Minyoung so gullibly. It didn’t make sense to determine someone’s character simply from groundless rumors. In my eyes, Yeosang didn’t seem to be as bad as people made him out to be. I started to understand why he acted so distant and detached all the time now. 

It was because he was tired of being judged by everyone.

Just like how I was tired of always losing to him.

_ If I win for once, will he finally be within the reach of my fingertips? _

This time, I didn’t want to run away. I wanted to face him head-on and show him that I wasn’t as weak as he thought. Though I wasn’t sure myself what exactly love was, I was determined to make him feel it.

The temptation was so hard to explain, yet so hard to resist.


	16. WIN

After receiving a call from my agency, my dad picked me up at the train station and drove us back home. The entire ride, he scolded me until I thought my ears were about to bleed.

_ “If you still want to be a model after graduating high school, try persuading me then. But now’s not the time to be playing dress up when everyone else is busy studying. A student should act like a student. You don’t have to become a prize on display for everyone to see, Yeseul.” _

My parents grounded me for two weeks: one for running away and one for being with a boy. As a punishment, I was forced to help my mom run the restaurant during the evenings and I was prohibited from hanging out with anyone after school. Considering the awkward tension between me and my friends, I accepted it as a much needed break from socializing.

After what happened with Minyoung and the others, I decided it would be best to go to school alone for the time being. Instead of walking like usual, I saved time by riding my red bike to school. For once, I didn’t have to listen to someone rambling about things I didn’t particularly pay attention to nor care about. I could finally appreciate the blue skies and green fields for what they were, rather than a background setting. Being able to completely immerse myself in the town’s scenery was a nice change. I was slowly beginning to see why my dad liked his hometown so much.

I was humming along to the sound of birds when I saw a flash of white zoom by me. At first, I thought I was seeing things. But there he was, right in front of me, as if he had been summoned. Yeosang was riding a black bike, draping one hand over the handles as he let his legs control the pedals. The ends of his white button-down fluttered in the wind as he leisurely led the way.

“Hey, wait!” I shouted, pedaling faster to catch up to him.

“I heard your family is crazy wealthy. Well, that’s not to say that mine is poor, but-”

“Why are you so curious about me?” he smirked, keeping his eyes on the road.

“If I want to win, I need to know who I’m up against.” I shot back, earning an amused glance from Yeosang.

“By the way, Mr. Kim wants to make a photobook with me in it.” I mentioned, hoping to elicit some sort of reaction.

“I see. But you should get a haircut first, I can barely see your eyes under those unruly bangs of yours.”

_ Unruly? How dare he? _

“Do you even know how famous Kim Hongjoong is?” I argued.

“Nope. I don’t care.” he replied flatly before picking up speed and leaving me behind.

“Geez… If you’re going to talk to me, the least you could do is feign interest.” I muttered quietly.

;

Despite my dad’s strong opposition, my mom encouraged me to continue pursuing my modeling career. She seemed to agree with Seonghwa that I had the potential to achieve enormous success if I took advantage of new opportunities. That’s why she didn’t hesitate to accompany me when my manager set up a meeting with Kim Hongjoong at a hotel nearby.

“This is Mr. Kim. It’s his first time in Pohang.” Seonghwa introduced him.

“Thank you for coming all the way here,” my mom bowed politely.

“Don’t mention it. I would do anything to see your daughter’s pretty little face again,” the silver-haired man beamed at me as he presented his business card to her before sitting down in a chair opposite from us.

Today, he was wearing attire that emphasized his grandeur even more. His baby blue blouse offered a refreshing contrast to the other adults in the room dressed in dull colors. The slit below his neckline exposed his bare chest ever so slightly. He caught me staring when he adjusted his round, silver-rimmed specs on the bridge of his sharp nose before beginning to speak.

“So I heard that you moved here,” he grinned cordially.

“Just for the time being,” I stated.

“I see. Then have you thought about where you will be going from now, Miss Yeseul?” he inquired curiously.

“To Seoul.”

“You really want to come back, don’t you?”

“I don’t belong here, nor do I have a reason to stay,” I admitted, looking down at my hands.

“Yeseul, if there’s something you want to ask him, just ask. Go on,” my mom reassured me, gesturing towards the man in blue.

After contemplating for a moment, I decided to ask what I had been wanting to know from the moment we first met.

“Mr. Kim… why me?” I asked cautiously.

The photographer leaned forward and folded his hands in front of his face. I could sense his unwavering confidence in the way he fixed his gaze on me.

“Hearing that makes me feel so old! Please, call me Hongjoong. And to answer your question, well… I can’t seem to breathe if you’re not in front of my camera,” he flashed his pearly white teeth.

_ What does that mean? _

“Well would you look at that! He seems to have a deep interest in you, Yeseul!” Seonghwa praised enthusiastically.

I took a sip of my fruit smoothie as I examined everyone’s expressions. All eyes were on me, waiting for an answer.

“What do you think?” Seonghwa asked, grazing his bottom lip in anticipation.

“Um… Hongjoong, is it okay if I don’t take my clothes off?” I questioned, finding it hard to hold eye contact with the silver-haired male in front of me.

To my surprise, he laughed. It even encouraged Seonghwa to chuckle too, though I could tell he wasn’t sure why.

“Well, I’d be lying if I said you didn’t have to,” Hongjoong chuckled, rubbing his hands together.

“Why do you look so serious, Yeseul? He’s just joking,” my mom smiled sweetly, holding my hand in hers.

For some reason, I felt uneasy about this whole negotiation. All I could think about was how Yeosang assaulted him with a book after the photoshoot. Why did he do such a thing?

“Yeseul.” Hongjoong’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I redirected my eyes to his face.

“I want to work with you. Let’s take good pictures and go further together. What do you say?” he extended his hand forward.

With everyone staring at me in anticipation, I felt obligated to agree to his proposal. So I shook his hand gently, causing Hongjoong to grin happily.

Little did I know that I would be working with the devil himself.

;

A few days had passed since the meeting with Hongjoong. He soon contacted me to ask if we could arrange a photoshoot “en plein air,” which meant outdoors. When I had asked him why, he explained that there was no better way to capture moments on film than in nature, free from any distractions. In addition, he mentioned that he would bring along both a stylist and a makeup artist for touch-ups. In other words, this man was meticulous in every way possible.

It was Saturday and I found myself hiking in the woods with Hongjoong and his entourage. I followed him from behind as he embarked on his quest to find the perfect backdrop for our first photoshoot. Once we found a small creek guarded by tall trees, Hongjoong whipped out his camera from his brown leather satchel. After he positioned me against a pine tree, he proceeded to click the shutter button several times while directing me to turn this way and that.

“Hold the flowers higher.”

“Okay.”

Just when I had readjusted the white and purple lisianthuses in my hands, a pebble striked Hongjoong’s head. He looked away to see where it flew from.

We were both startled to see Yeosang leaning against one of the trees, playing with a rock in his hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the stylist snapped.

“This territory is mine. I should be the one asking that,” the blond male chided.

Hongjoong raised his eyebrows in confusion, looking back at me. Before I could explain, Yeosang spoke again.

“She is also mine,” he nodded his head toward me.

It took me a second to register what Yeosang had just said. I felt my heart drop to the ground as the flowers in my hand fell with it. I couldn’t believe the words that had just escaped his lips. The moment I realized what he had meant, he ran away and disappeared among the trees.

“Yeosang, wait!” I called out, chasing after him.

Once Yeosang was within sight again, I sprinted faster. He leaped effortlessly over the buttresses and logs while I struggled to keep up with him. My ankle boots weighed me down significantly, but I didn’t let them stop me from running.

What started as a chase eventually turned into a childish game of tag. We were running in circles under the shade of the treetops. I was so intent on grabbing him that I didn’t even notice my cardigan falling off. Just when I thought he was within my reach, he escaped. Yeosang was always one step ahead of me.

This game of predator and prey persisted for several minutes until I fell backwards and landed in a brook. My dress was soaked and a burning sensation took over my legs, but I couldn’t care less. What consumed me more was the feeling of defeat and humiliation at having lost to him again. The blond boy looked at me with the flame of victory in his eyes. I hated it with a passion.

After prancing around and gloating over my downfall, Yeosang took off like the wind and vanished for good this time.

I was left to look at the opening through the canopy and listen to the sound of the streams flowing over the rocks. I let the water devour my dress as I took time to collect my breath and stabilize my heartbeat.

The sound of leaves crunching got closer and closer. I didn’t have the energy to look up and see who was approaching. A shadow grew over my body when a familiar face came into view.

Instead of asking me what had happened or helping me up, Hongjoong continued to take photos of me on the ground. The flash on his camera made the sunlight suddenly seem welcoming to my eyes. I raised my arm to shield myself from the brightness.

“I… want to win against him. That’s why I agreed to do the photobook with you.” I explained listlessly.

“I see…” Hongjoong trailed off, showing very little interest in what I had to say.

“I wonder if I could win,” I sighed, covering my face with both of my arms.

“Don’t worry. You’ll win.” he chuckled, rotating the lens on his camera.

“How do you know?”

“Because he said a while ago, ‘she is also mine,’ right? He doesn’t stand a chance if he thinks you only belong to him.” Hongjoong shook his head, laughing softly.

I felt my lips curve upward slowly as a wave of warmth washed over my entire being from head to toe.

“It seems like… he’s beyond the lens…”


	17. ANSWER

The next morning, I woke up to the faint sound of a bell ringing from outside. I got up and looked out my bedroom window to see where the noise was coming from. At first, I couldn’t see anything, but then I saw someone riding a bike in the distance. As he approached my house closer and closer, I noticed that he was waving at me, so I waved back, causing him to wave even more enthusiastically than the first time. Once he dismounted from his bike and looked up at me, I immediately recognized who it was.

His name was Yunho. Besides being an honor roll student, class president, and top batter on the school’s baseball team, he also delivered fish from door to door on the weekends. The Jeong family had supplied fish not only to my grandmother’s restaurant, but to many other townspeople for several years. All the girls’ mothers in this town fawned over him and called dibs on him as their future son-in-law. His optimistic attitude and energetic personality easily made him everyone’s favorite. From the friendly smile on his face, I could see why people called him nicknames like “golden retriever” and “human vitamin.”

When I slid the front door open, I could see that a blue icebox was attached to the back of his bicycle seat.

“Yunho, is that fish?” I pointed to the icebox.

“Yeah! I was asked to bring it to your family.”

“Mom! Yunho’s here.” I shouted.

“Oh, no need to call her down. I can drop it off inside.” Yunho insisted as he unbuckled the strap that secured the icebox to his bicycle.

He carried the container and ducked his head to avoid bumping against the head of the door as he stepped into the restaurant. Only then did I realize how tall he was compared to most kids our age. After placing the icebox on the marble counter, he wiped away the sweat that beaded his forehead.

“Thank you as always, Yunho!” My mom called out before taking the fish and going back to the kitchen to prepare them.

“And thank you for your continuous patronage!” the boy bowed.

I was about to go back to my room when Yunho stopped me.

“Hey! Can I talk to you for a bit?” he grinned.

“Sure.” I shrugged.

“Is it true that you were photographed nude?” Yunho asked, leaning forward as he held onto the top of the door.

“What are you talking about?” I tried to hold back my laughter at the sudden question.

“So it’s just a false rumor,” the brown-haired male raised his eyebrows while crossing his arms.

“There’s no way I would do something like that. I only got photographed for a photobook.” I denied, brushing past him to go outside.

“That’s what I thought,” he chuckled, ruffling the back of his hair as he followed me out.

“Yeseul, Yunho, here!” My mom handed us two Melona bars at the door.

“Thanks mom.”

“Thank you!” Yunho chirped.

We sat down on the porch, instantly relaxing at the touch of the wooden floorboards. My legs were dangling off of the ledge as I swung them back and forth.

“If I take a look at your photos, do you know what I would think of every time I see you in school then?” Yunho smirked, turning his body to face me.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I laughed, unwrapping the ice cream and taking a bite.

Yunho giggled but didn’t say a word as he watched me eat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that his expression was one of pure bliss. His eyes lit up like a puppy while his lips were parted just enough to reveal a set of perfect teeth. I was surprised at how red his ears had turned, but I decided not to mention it, assuming it was from the heat.

“I can see the honey dripping from your eyes, you pervert.” I chucked the other Melona in his direction, which he caught flawlessly, as expected of a star baseball player.

“Hey, I don’t mind being called a pervert if it means I get to look at you up close like this,” Yunho teased, scooting closer and tilting his head to the left.

I quickly turned my back to him and reached up to touch my burning cheeks. I didn’t know if he was acting boldly or if he was just being friendly to me like he was to everyone else.

“By the way, your mother’s pretty, too,” Yunho commented, prompting me to face him again.

“Are you into older women?” I joked, standing up to stroll around the front yard.

“N-No… I just like her face,” he replied sheepishly, looking down at his half-eaten stick of Melona.

“What was that?” I cupped my hand to my ear, pretending not to hear.

“I said, I like her face!” he raised his voice.

“Huh? I didn’t hear you!” I yelled at him playfully from behind one of the wooden pillars.

Yunho finally realized that I was messing with him and chased me around. I wondered what my neighbors would have said if they saw me fleeing from a boy that was twice my size.

After several minutes of fooling around, we both collapsed on the porch, feeling drained. Not a word was exchanged, yet the sound of our hearts thumping against our chests was enough to express how much we enjoyed each other’s company. Once we recharged ourselves, Yunho took his leave, leaving me to relax in the protective shade once more.

;

A week had passed since I had last talked to Yeosang. Although I would often see him around school, he would give me the cold shoulder and act as if nothing had happened between us. Even when I tried to approach him on various occasions, he would always avoid or ignore me. I tried not to feel hurt or pay too much attention to him, but at the end of the day, he was always lingering in my mind.

On the other hand, Yunho was the only person who seemed to acknowledge my presence in school. We would exchange friendly waves and chat for a bit during break every now and then, but nothing more. He was constantly surrounded by his friends and I didn’t want to intrude, especially when he seemed to be having so much fun with them.

As for Minyoung and the others, things were still awkward between us. The only interactions we exchanged were occasional glances at each other. Sometimes I would hear my name being whispered. For the time being, I spent my time at school alone.

When I came home from school one day, my mom told me that some good news had arrived. There was a package in the mail for me. Upon reading the sender’s address, I realized that it was Seonghwa who had sent me something. I cut open the tape using a box cutter and folded back the flaps to find a pair of books inside.

The one on top had my photo on the cover. Even after years of modeling, I still found it so fascinating to see myself on the front page. I flipped through the photobook and saw that all the photos were the ones I took with Hongjoong in the forest.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of showing the photos to Yeosang. I couldn’t help but wonder what he would say or how he would react.

_Would I be able to win him over with this?_

Realizing how silly I sounded, I shook my thoughts away and picked up the second book instead. The cover was colored in an awfully familiar shade of crimson. It didn’t take long for me to recognize it as the book that Yeosang smacked Hongjoong with. I carefully opened the book and saw that it was filled with photos of naked women. All of the models looked like they were in their late teens or early twenties. Another similarity I found was that they wore dramatically pigmented makeup. Their red lips and smoky eyes were absolutely striking, to say the least. But to my surprise, none of them were wearing anything like the outfit that Hongjoong wanted me to dress up in.

I was startled by the sound of the door sliding open, so I frantically closed the book, hiding it behind me.

“What did your manager send?” my mom asked curiously.

“Oh, just some photobooks.”

“Did Mr. Kim take these?! This is amazing, Yeseul! To think that he saw potential in you,” she gushed, examining my photos.

“Yeah…”

“What’s that behind your back?” my mom questioned, straining her neck to take a look.

“Oh, it’s nothing-” I lied, shaking my head.

“It doesn’t look like nothing, let me see,” she extended her hand.

I reluctantly handed over the red book. I waited for her to be shocked but she didn’t say anything.

“He’s an amazing photographer, that’s for sure. Who knows? Maybe Mr. Kim is saving you for photos like these for when you’re older.”

“Do you really think so?” I looked up at her.

“I’m kidding, what kind of mom would let her own daughter take such explicit photos?” she chuckled, exiting the room.

I stared at the book blankly, wondering what Hongjoong had in store for me.

;

The next day went by as usual, with no sign of Yeosang. I assumed he was probably busy fishing by himself since San, Mingi, and Wooyoung didn’t ditch. After classes were done, I headed straight for the lockers to grab my belongings and head home when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

“Yeseul.”

I turned around to see Minyoung standing in front of me.

“I came to apologize. Me and the girls are really sorry,” she spoke.

“For what?”

“Remember the water balloon incident when Yeosang said we talked behind your back? Well, he wasn’t lying. We were. Everyone was just jealous of how much attention you were receiving from everyone, and it felt like we were always in your shadow. That’s why we said those things,” Minyoung admitted.

“Oh it’s alright… I don’t care about that anymore,” I reassured her.

“Even though we have no right to say this, please forgive us. We still want to be your friends,” she pleaded, taking my hands into hers.

Minyoung’s expression faltered when she looked down.

“Oh my gosh, you’re wearing matching bracelets with Yeosang!”

“Really? But the color is different, plus anybody could buy this…”

“I know, no need to explain yourself. Yeosang is special. After all, his family dominated this town for generations. That isn’t something ordinary people like me can have.”

“I see. My stylist just gave this to me so-”

“I… think that you and Yeosang should date.” Minyoung blurted.

“Huh?”

Right at that moment, Yeosang sauntered past us carelessly. His timing was impeccable. He yanked open his locker, a loud bang resonating from the metal door.

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since you transferred here. You’re the most beautiful girl here in Pohang. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Yeseul. It’s only natural that you guys go out together. As the only heir to the Kang family, Yeosang needs a suitable partner to…”

Minyoung’s words drowned out as I watched him close the locker and start heading for the door.

“The photobook!” I called after him.

The blond male turned around, a sharp expression taking over his features. For a second, I forgot how intimidating he could be. I walked up to him, clinging my bookbag to my chest.

“It’s finished.” I added, looking him in the eyes. But Yeosang didn’t blink once. The same empty and soulless look still occupied his face.

Taking this as a sign that he wasn’t interested, I dashed out the door. When I realized that he was running after me, I ran faster.

As we got further and further away from the school, our panting grew louder and louder. After passing by a row of trees, we eventually ended up in a concrete flood control channel. A shallow stream of water was running down the middle, separating the two banks of the river. We were running on opposite sides of each other at an equal pace until Yeosang sprinted across the water and tackled me. He pulled me by the arm, pushing me down into the water. I landed on my butt, causing my skirt to become wet in an instant. I looked up at him on the verge of tears. For a moment, we didn’t say a word. He simply stared down at me condescendingly before tugging my pigtail.

“Come on,” he ordered aggressively.

“This is the worst…” I muttered, feeling my pride sink more with every second that passed by.

“Show me.”

I laid still in the water, closing my eyes shut.

“Hand it over while I’m asking nicely, will you?” Yeosang demanded, rolling his eyes irritably.

“Like hell I will,” I scoffed, turning away from him.

“There it is,” he spoke, proceeding to walk over me to grab my bookbag, which was sprawled conveniently on the concrete slab.

I picked myself up and limped after him. It turned out that I wasn’t the only one who was exhausted, for Yeosang stopped walking and sat down against a wall covered with rusty pipes. He was stroking the black leather of my bookbag. By the time I finally caught up to him, he turned his head to face me.

After noticing how pathetic I looked in my soggy uniform and tangled hair, Yeosang tossed the bag at my feet. He nodded at me before leaning back and averting his gaze. My knees gave in and I fell to the ground. I opened my bookbag and pulled out Hongjoong’s photobook, handing it to him.

Yeosang snatched it out of my hand, just like how he did with the magazine on my first day. Why he was so rough with everything, I didn’t know.

Not wanting to annoy him, I stayed silent as I watched him flip through the pages. I hugged my knees, waiting for a reaction. While Yeosang looked at the photos, I noticed his expression slowly soften. He no longer appeared cold and aggressive, but rather concentrated, like a boy who was hooked on a children’s story.

After a minute of silence, I decided to break it.

“The truth is, I want to say that I’m amazing. I wanted to show it off to you, but that’s not like me. It was only possible with Mr. Kim’s skills. Even when I look in the mirror, I’m not the kind of girl you see in those photos,” I confessed.

“It is you though.”

I looked up to see Yeosang still going through the pages.

“You’re always looking at me with these kinds of eyes.”

He turned to face me. Having trouble maintaining eye contact, I looked down as I felt a combination of embarrassment and shame take over me.

“I think I was always watching you closely. You know how they say to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? Well, you were sort of like my enemy. No matter what I said or did, it felt like you hated my guts. If I won against you, I thought I would be closer to you. I don’t really know anymore, but that’s what I thought.” I admitted, biting my lip nervously.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Yeosang staring. For once, he was actually paying attention to me, instead of dismissing or ignoring me. All of the hurtful memories began to race through my mind. When I felt my eyes start to water, I blinked the tears back and looked up at the sky.

“I wonder why I feel like crying.” I swallowed down the lump in my throat and buried my face in my knees.

My ears perked up at the sound of a zipper opening. I lifted my head to see Yeosang digging through his backpack for something.

“Here.” Yeosang threw a green soda can into my lap.

I sat up and opened it, only to have it explode and overflow. The loud crackling noises of the soda fizzing were interrupted by the blond boy’s laughter. I couldn’t help but laugh also, considering how funny the situation seemed.

“It’s your fault that I ran in the first place.” he smirked.

I shot him a sideways smile before taking a sip of the soda. I tilted my head back, gulping down the citrus-flavored carbonated drink. I was so thirsty that I didn’t even notice the liquid was dripping down my chin. I cupped my hand to try and catch it, but to no avail.

“How filthy.” Yeosang teased.

“Here.” I handed him the soda can after I had finished drinking half.

Instead of taking it, he pushed my hand away to the side, causing the can to spill. Yeosang leaned forward and licked the soda off my chin. He moved back and our eyes met one another’s. For the first time, he was looking at me with warm and affectionate eyes. His pupils were dilated and his lips were parted slightly. I felt my breathing grow erratic as he inched towards me again, but this time, he closed the gap between us.

Naturally, my eyes fluttered shut as our lips became one. Contrary to what I saw in movies, the kiss felt rather simple. It was more of a soft peck, lasting for about five seconds before he drew away slowly. My eyes didn’t leave his lips until I noticed Yeosang was staring directly at me with his head tilted to the side. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, sending butterflies to my stomach. Suddenly, he looked down at his shirt, wiping the stains off as he withdrew from me.

“Fuck, it spilled all over.” he cursed, taking a sip from the soda can.


	18. MIST

_“The master of photography, Kim Hongjoong. Big motion picture in the works! Has he taken a liking to younger girls?!”_ the headline of the newspaper read.

I stared in awe at Hongjoong’s picture next to mine on the front page. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that such a famous photographer was coveting me to be his model, but now the sudden prospect of being an actress in his first major film overwhelmed me. When Seonghwa told me that Hongjoong wanted to cast me as the protagonist, I had no idea that it would make headlines.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my mom raise her voice in the kitchen. It was barely 7 A.M. when I got caught in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel. My brother and I were watching this all unfold in front of us while quietly eating seaweed soup for breakfast.

“I’m against it. Don’t make me repeat myself, woman.” my dad warned.

“Okay, it’s settled. Let’s live separately then.” my mom countered, leaving the kitchen.

“What?” his eyes widened in disbelief.

“I’m going to take Yeseul with me back to Seoul. Have fun running the restaurant all by yourself,” my mom hummed as she took off her apron.

“No no no, wait!” he shouted.

“Thanks mom. But you don’t have to leave dad cos of me, you know. He can’t go a day without you.” I chuckled, taking another sip of my soup.

“Hey, that’s not-” my dad started.

“Yeseul. What about your career? Weren’t you dying to go back to the city to start filming with Mr. Kim?” my mom eyed me sternly, crossing her arms.

“After I did the photobook, somehow… I already feel satisfied. Besides, Yubin’s already made friends, haven’t you?” I smiled, hopping off the bar stool.

“Yeah! I’ve made lots!” he grinned widely, showing off his baby teeth.

“Good for you.” I patted his petite head.

“I’m off to school now!” I waved and turned around to grab my bookbag.

“Me too!” Yubin dashed after me to go get his backpack.

“Have a nice day, you two!” our mom called after us.

;

After dropping Yubin off at his school, I began biking to school. A row of white fences flashed by as I pedaled down the road. On the way, I noticed a familiar head of blond standing in front of a pond. He was fumbling with something in his hands. I immediately brought my bike to a screeching halt so I could talk to him for a bit.

“Yeosang! How come you left your house so early?” I shouted from a distance.

The blond male didn’t say anything. His hands were preoccupied with bouncing the rock back and forth in his hands.

“I wanted to leave together with you.” I pouted.

“Oh, hey.” he responded flatly, his back still toward me.

“You know, this morning I found out that Mr. Kim is planning to film a movie. He wants to recruit me.” I mentioned, trying to catch his attention.

Yeosang didn’t say anything nor did he bother to face me. He was too busy skipping rocks across the pond instead.

“But… I wonder if I shouldn’t. Because if I continue to work like this, I won’t be able to spend more time with you.” I said as I made my way down the stone steps.

The blond boy stood still, staring ahead of him.

“I think that as long as I get to spend time with you, everything will be fine!” I exclaimed, running down faster until I finally stood in front of him.

“How boring,” were the first words that left Yeosang’s mouth before he started walking away from me.

“Boring?” I followed after him, my sneakers scuffling across the gritty sand.

“I thought you understood.” Yeosang spoke, his vague words perplexing me more and more.

“Understood what?”

“You finally redeemed yourself yesterday by showing me what you’re good at. If you have the power, use it!” he shouted as he leaped across the water, making a loud series of splash noises while doing so. We were now standing on opposite sides of the pond.

“Do you like the version of me who works in show business then? If that’s the case, I’ll do it, you know!” I shouted.

Yeosang ignored me and walked around in circles, kicking the dirt and creating mini whirlwinds of sandy dust.

“I want you to decide for me, Yeosang.” I emphasized.

The next few minutes were followed by silence and Yeosang strolling around the perimeter of the pond, as if I wasn’t there. Not once did he spare me a glance. I eventually lost my patience after waiting in vain for him to say something.

“Don’t you like me?!” I yelled frustratedly, treading toward the body of water.

He abruptly responded by hurling a rock in my direction, only missing me by a narrow margin when it landed in the water. I stood there stunned, gaping at him in disbelief.

“Why do you feel the need to be liked by everyone? I mean, you’re beautiful, right? Doesn’t that already give you the answer? I thought it was something you knew. That’s why you want to make a living off your looks in Seoul. This town is obviously too boring and small for your liking,” he retorted, shrugging nonchalantly.

“No! You’ve got it all wrong!” I retaliated, throwing a pebble back at him but missing due to my poor aim.

“I promise you, I’m more than just my looks! I can show you how fun it is to be with me!” I stomped in the water, stopping only inches away from his face.

Yeosang shoved his hands in the pockets of his black slacks and took a step forward. His figure towered over me, casting a shadow across myself and partially blocking me from the sun. Our eyes were level with one another now as we gazed directly into each other’s eyes. Neither of us were willing to bat an eyelash.

“I don’t think you know what my idea of fun is,” he chuckled, tilting my chin upwards.

I shoved his hand away, letting him know that his touch was no longer welcome.

“I do. You’re just a sick sadist who gets off of messing with me, like I’m your doll! Well, guess what? I’ll make you regret all the times you mistreated me!” I yelled, feeling my voice crack.

I turned on my heel, not wanting to expose how vulnerable I truly felt in his presence. I blinked my tears back as I stared down at my reflection in the water, seeing how pathetic I looked.

“If you cry one day cos I abandoned you, I won’t care then.” I whined, my eyes glistening.

At that moment, Yeosang took his left hand out of his pocket and grabbed my right wrist, tugging me forward and out of the water. He took off my bracelet and tossed it onto the ground. Then he swiftly removed his bracelet off his right wrist and held it out to me.

“But isn’t that-” I faltered, realizing it was the very bracelet Minyoung had mentioned before.

“Just shut up and take it.” he hissed.

When I didn’t budge, Yeosang clutched my wrist and wrapped his bracelet around it.

“Who knows, it might protect you.” he explained as he tied the loose threads together into a ribbon.

I looked down at the beaded bracelet and realized what a stunning shade of blue it was. It reminded me of the ocean where we first met. Noticing how empty Yeosang’s wrist now looked, I quickly scrambled to the ground to recover my bracelet and put it on him.

“Then I’ll give you this. To protect you too.” I vowed, grabbing his hand.

My red bracelet suited Yeosang much better than me, maybe because his skin was so fair in comparison to mine. When I became conscious of the fact that I was holding onto his hand for too long, I instantly let go and started to walk back where I came from. Only this time, my heart no longer felt as heavy.

;

_Clink… clink… clink!_

The sound of something hitting the windowpane roused me from my deep sleep. I opened my eyes and checked the clock, which read 4:15 a.m. I groaned into my pillow, wondering who would be in their right mind to be awake at this hour on a Sunday.

The tapping grew more frequent, prompting me to roll over and reluctantly leave the comfort of my bed. I walked to the window and pushed the white curtains aside, the blue light seeping into my room.

Much to my surprise, I found Yeosang standing there with his bike next to him. Despite how cold it was outside, he was only wearing a plain gray V-neck and denim shorts with flip-flops. He seemed to be immune to the coastal weather.

I slid the window open and whisper-shouted down at him.

“Yeosang?! What are you doing here? How did you even know where I live?”

“Couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d go for a little adventure. You do realize we live pretty close to each other, right?” he smirked.

“Well yeah, but… it’s so early, are you crazy?!” I exclaimed.

“Eh, more like bored.” he shrugged coolly.

“So are you coming or not?” Yeosang asked, crossing his arms.

I paced back and forth in front of the window, not knowing what to do. If my parents found out that I left my room to hang out with a boy in the early hours of the morning, I would inevitably face their wrath again. I shuddered at the thought of being punished even more harshly this time.

“Are you scared of getting caught by your folks like last time?” a chuckle escaped his lips.

“Oh, shut up,” I muttered.

“You worry too much. I’ll bring you back by sunrise.” Yeosang reassured me.

“Fine, but what’s in it for me?” I questioned, growing skeptical of his intentions.

“It’s not something that can be expressed in words. You gotta feel it yourself.” he stretched out his arms dramatically, causing me to giggle.

Strangely enough, his cryptic explanation encouraged me to trust Yeosang and accompany him on his journey to wherever it was that he had in mind.

;

While Yeosang was biking, I sat behind him with my arms wrapped around his waist. I leaned my head against his back and watched our surroundings flash by like a roll of film. The mountains in the distance quickly disintegrated into specks of forest green as the grey clouds blended into one big, bleak mass hovering over our heads.

In a rush to flee with Yeosang, I forgot to dress for the weather. Inevitably, I assumed I would suffer later because of my poor judgment, however, Yeosang’s body was warm enough to protect me from the cold. I looked up to see the crown of his head, which exposed his black roots. Just like how the blond dye started to fade out, his icy exterior was melting away, revealing a warmer side of him that I hadn’t been able to fully witness until now. It made me wonder what he was like before I had met him.

_What made his heart harden? Why were his edges so rough? Surely, something must have caused him to act the way that he does…_

Upon seeing the ocean come into view, I felt compelled to stand up. The seagulls that were soaring above us seemed to be telling me to let go of all my inhibitions. At that moment, I raised one arm up to the gloomy sky while holding onto Yeosang’s shoulder with the other. Closing my eyes, I felt the ocean breeze nip at my face. The salty aroma that was once so repulsive to me began to soothe me as I inhaled it in.

I was broken out of my trance when Yeosang started shouting.

“Sky!”

“Clouds!” I yelled back, commencing a game that reminded me of Marco Polo.

“Rocks!”

“Sea!”

“Cloudy weather! Clear up already, you bastard!” Yeosang cursed at the sky playfully.

Both of us laughed in unison at how silly we sounded, screaming out loud into the void for no particular reason at all. We were lucky that no one was awake to see two kids causing such a commotion at dawn. Everyone would have been pointing fingers at us, tsking at our ill-advised choice of clothing in the chilly spring weather. But none of that mattered to us. We were too immersed in our own world to care and too busy escaping the imminent reality that was adulthood.

We rode past the wharf, the boats, and the beach, fueled by a childish fever that took over us entirely. Even the waves crashing ever so violently against the rocks could not compare to the adrenaline coursing through my veins. For the first time in a long time, I felt alive and free, thanks to him.


	19. FEVER

“Yunho!”

The brown-haired boy turned his head around upon hearing his name being called. He was at the batting cages with some seniors on the baseball team.

“Yeah?” his ears perked up.

“You’re in the same class as Yeseul, right?” one of the upperclassmen asked.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Yunho eyed him curiously.

“Ask for her Kakaotalk.”

“Get some private photos for us!” another guy snickered.

“Well… I’m not that close to her. Besides, I think she’s just a normal girl.” Yunho looked away, reverting his attention to the pitching machine in front of him.

“Psh, what the hell…” the others groaned in unison.

After hearing them objectify the girl he secretly liked, Yunho felt his blood start to boil. His fists clenched the bat so tight that his knuckles turned white. His rage manifested itself into scarily accurate swings, as the strong sounds of the ball colliding against the aluminum rang continuously throughout the room.

;

“I’m begging you, this is my final request. Please take my picture.” I read aloud.

For what seemed like the 50th time that night, I was rehearsing my lines from the script Hongjoong had given me. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious of how unnatural I sounded. I had always thought that acting looked so easy and effortless, but it turned out to be quite difficult.

After Hongjoong’s lengthy and tiring discussion with his casting team, it was decided that I would be assigned the role of the female lead. Desperate to capture the emotions of my character, I raised my hand and stared up at the ceiling dramatically.

“I’m begging you! This is my final request! Please take my picture!” I cried, placing my hand over my heart.

I couldn’t help but laugh at how silly I sounded. This time, I was putting too much emotion into my words. Clearly, I was struggling to achieve the perfect balance that was so characteristic of the best actors and actresses in the world.

I cleared my throat and started to recite the script again when I was interrupted by someone rapping on the door lightly.

“Yeseul, one of our customers was kind enough to give us some snacks. Come down and eat with us!” my mom beckoned.

“Okay, I’ll be there in a sec!” I shouted.

With a pen, I quickly scribbled _“with more emotion but not too much”_ in the margins of the script before getting up from the chair and leaving my room.

I hopped down the stairs and walked into the living room, where my parents were conversing with some middle-aged man in glasses.

“I’m currently studying biology at a graduate school nearby.” he spoke.

“Oh, is that so?” my dad asked.

“Yes, I’ve been wanting to conduct my research in this city for some time now.” he added.

When the visitor noticed I had entered, he made eye contact with me. Something about the way he scanned me up and down was a bit unsettling, but nevertheless I smiled at him courteously as I sat down on the couch.

“We’re glad that you came by. In fact, the Fire & Light Festival here in Pohang is one of the oldest festivals in this country.” my grandfather explained, going off on a tangent.

“How cute!” I grabbed a green yugwa from the snack box sitting on the table.

“Don’t be rude, Yeseul. Say thank you to our visitor first.” my mom reproached me sternly.

“Ah, thank you so much. Sorry, I just get excited about snacks.” I bowed, unwrapping the plastic casing.

“No problem.” the man nodded, rubbing his hands on his knees.

“That reminds me, it’s also Yeseul’s first time going to the festival!” my mom clapped her hands.

“That’s right, Yeseul is going to make her debut at the Fire & Light Festival soon.” my dad joked.

“You’ll be busy with your date though, I assume.” my mom chuckled goodnaturedly.

“Mom…” I whined, feeling embarrassed that she brought it up all of a sudden.

“Are you going with the Kang family’s son, Yeosang? They sure are a splendid family!” my grandfather asked inquisitively, taking a sip of his tea.

“I don’t care how splendid they are. I’m against it! It’s still too early for Yeseul to be seeing boys.” my dad waved dismissively.

“You’re so old fashioned, it actually hurts,” I rolled my eyes in annoyance, leaving the room.

“There she goes again,” he sighed.

“What’s too early?” my grandfather chastised my dad.

“Don’t you see? She’s only in high school.” he pointed out.

“Tsk, tsk. What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t want to see your daughter bloom into a woman?” the older man criticized.

The room fell into an awkward silence as my dad felt defeated, no longer able to argue against what my grandfather had to say. I was eavesdropping from the top of the stairs, my lips curling upward in satisfaction as I tried to contain both my laughter and excitement at the prospect of my date with Yeosang.

;

The day of the long-awaited Fire & Light Festival had finally arrived.

The Fire & Light Festival is an annual event where the people in Pohang celebrate the city’s history as a famous seaport. In fact, Pohang is dubbed as the “City of Light & Fire.” Everyone flocks to attend the food markets, musical performances, and parades, before finishing off the evening with a spectacular fireworks show. As part of the celebration, it was customary for people of all ages to wear hanboks on this day as a show of appreciation and pride for their country.

I woke up super early to get ready since getting dressed into a hanbok would no doubt prove to be time-consuming. The hanbok I would be wearing consisted of a navy jeogori and an imperial red dress embellished with white flowers. My mom had made some minor adjustments to the hanbok here and there, making sure that the dress wasn’t too big or tight on me. She proceeded to tie my hair into a braid down my back, adding a red daenggi to top it off. This hairstyle was very popular in ancient Korea, for it signified that a woman was unmarried. I thought the ribbon looked tacky, but my mom insisted that I wear it so no one would mistake me for a married woman.

After that, I preoccupied myself with applying a modest amount of makeup on my face. Today, I decided to go for a natural look by patting my cheeks faintly with blush and dabbing my lips with a streak of peach-tinted lip gloss.

At half past nine, Yeosang picked me up at my house. Upon opening the front door, I was shocked to see him wearing what appeared to be a modern hanbok. The sheer turquoise shawl and skirt complemented his fair skin tone so well, not to mention the navy shirt and shorts underneath. His wrists were adorned with dark sequined cuffs and loose ribbons. I looked down to see that he was wearing black Oxfords with white socks that stopped just under his kneecaps, further delineating his delicate features. He could have easily passed for a Hwarang, only more graceful and handsome. Yeosang’s unique ensemble was eye-catching, to say the least.

This time, he didn’t bring his bicycle. Since all the events would take place in the heart of the town, which was close by, we decided to walk there together instead.

But before we could leave, my parents came rushing out of the house.

“Yeseul-ah, you forgot your wallet! Oh, you must be Yeosang! What a handsome boy you are!” my mom cooed.

Yeosang bowed politely, murmuring “thank you” shyly.

“I heard your folks are the cream of the crop around here. But even so, don’t try to pull anything funny on my daughter, you understand?” my dad warned, eyeing him up and down suspiciously.

“Yes sir.”

Once we said goodbye to my parents, we leisurely made our way to the town square, where everyone else would be.

Paper lanterns in every color of the rainbow were dangling on strings above our heads. Korean flags were waving in the wind in such a fashion that it looked like they were saying hello. People cooking all kinds of delicious food were sharing jovial exchanges with the customers around them. There were so many sights to see that I had trouble figuring out where to look first. It was rare to see these kinds of things in a city like Seoul. Everyone was engaging in delightful and meaningful interactions with one another. I was amazed at how awfully wrong I was for thinking this town was drab when I first came here.

Yeosang and I were walking on the sidewalk when I stopped in my tracks. I looked down to see the red goreum (ribbon) on my jeogori had come undone.

“Oh no, the ribbon is already loose. To think I asked my mom to do it for me.” I pouted.

I was attempting to redo the ribbon hastily when Yeosang abruptly shoved me against a metal lamppost. He made his way over and grabbed the goreum, pulling me forward to the point that we were dangerously close to each other. I looked at Yeosang, whose eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tied the ribbon tightly. He hummed in satisfaction at his handiwork when he let go and started to cross the street.

After calming my heartbeat down, I caught up to him.

“Hey, Yeosang. We’re dating now, right?” I asked, smiling.

“Mm, I guess so.” he replied flatly.

I grew envious of all the couples holding hands around us, so I tried to grab his hand, but Yeosang steered his hand away from mine.

“If you keep acting like this, I’ll disappear, you know.” I sulked, passing him as I walked forward.

Before I could go any further, Yeosang immediately seized my wrist and dragged me with him.

“We don’t have to hold hands to know that we are always connected.” he explained.

Upon hearing those words, I smiled softly.

“Yeah, I can count on you to always catch me.” I grinned, swinging our hands back and forth.

But the blond boy’s icy expression didn’t change. He wouldn’t look me in the eyes. I tried to lighten up by saying whatever came to mind.

“You know, I wanted to participate in the Fire & Light show too.”

“Women are forbidden from participating, so you can’t.” he said matter-of-factly.

“Oh… what a bummer. So I can only watch while you perform. Will you at least see me in the crowd?” I asked.

“I’ll be wearing a mask so it’s impossible.”

“Why won’t you look at me? I want to make eye contact with you!” I whined and stomped in frustration, earning questionable glances from children walking by.

Yeosang pulled me forward and started taking us somewhere. We ended up in an empty bus nearby, where he shoved me against a pole.

“So that our eyes meet…” his deep voice breathed.

He leaned in and kissed me on the lips so forcefully that I fell backwards into the seat. His long eyelashes brushed against me as our lips moved from side to side. It almost felt like I was learning a dance, mirroring his movements. My eyes fluttered open when he withdrew.

“It would be something like this.” he spoke.

I stared into his coffee-colored, doe-like eyes in surprise. Yeosang broke eye contact and left the bus, giving me time to catch my breath and readjust my dress sheepishly before heading out.

;

Come nightfall, the festivities grew even livelier. More people were bustling in the streets, which were lit up by torches and lanterns. The music was louder, and even the smell of the food being cooked by the vendors was stronger.

By far, the most anticipated event of the evening was the Fire & Light show. Only males of adult age from the most prestigious families in Pohang were eligible to participate in this special event. As expected, Yeosang was one of them.

I stood in the crowd, observing the show from afar. Fortunately, Yeosang’s colorful hanbok made it easy to spot where he was. He never blended in with the rest.

Yeosang was the first one to light up his torch out of all the men present. After returning to his designated spot, he put on his dark red wooden mask, which was in the shape of an exaggerated human face.

When the musicians started pounding their drums, the ritual commenced, signaling all the participants to start marching to the beat in a circle.

In contrast to the masked men passing by, there were some men who didn’t cover their faces but wore a gat (traditional black hat) instead. Among this bunch, I noticed several familiar faces from school. Yunho, San, Mingi, and Wooyoung were all wearing relatively dull hanboks, following the person in front of them.

I whisper-shouted Yunho’s name and waved at him. He noticed me and flashed his signature smile in my direction.

After a minute of watching everyone walk around with their torches in hand, the circular formation transformed into a single line. They were heading to the forest now.

Yeosang was the last person in line to walk by the crowd. My eyes followed him the entire time, but he didn’t acknowledge me. I stared after him as he and the others slowly disappeared into the woods.

Across from me, I noticed Minyoung also watching Yeosang. She was dressed in a carnation pink hanbok. When she saw me, Minyoung smiled condescendingly. It was almost as if she knew something about him that I wasn’t aware of.

A pang of jealousy took over my emotions, prompting me to leave my spot. Luckily, I found an empty space in the front where I could see a better view of the whole show.

In the center of it all was a lacquer table with an incense holder in the middle and candles on either side of it. Everyone was standing in line and taking turns to give offerings to honor and please the ancestral spirits.

Yunho was holding a plate of fish as a representative for his family, the most successful fish supplier in Pohang. He placed it in the second row on the lacquer table before stepping back and bowing to pay his respects.

My attention was reverted to Yeosang when he passed by me again. Seeing him amidst all the fire kindled a sudden flame within me. I stared in longing and bit my bottom lip in anticipation for what he was going to perform.

I was broken out of my trance when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see the visitor from a few days ago.

“Yeseul, there’s an emergency. Your grandfather has collapsed.” he panted.

“What? Is he okay?” I gasped.

While Yeosang was marching with the torch in his hand, he tilted his head in confusion at the sight of the unfamiliar man.

“Your parents are already at the hospital. They asked me to find you and take you there. Let’s hurry!”

The man took my hand and started running. I had no choice but to follow him.

;

Yeosang stopped in his tracks and looked on. His instincts sensed that something was horribly off. He wanted to go after her and make sure everything was alright, but he knew his parents were counting on him to carry out his duty as the successor of his family. Never before had he felt so conflicted about his priorities than in that moment.

As a child, Yeosang had been raised to be tough so he would be adequately prepared to overcome any challenges that life might throw his way. After getting into trouble a couple times for delinquency, he had always been taught to consider the repercussions of his actions. But after seeing his first love run off like a scared rabbit with someone else, he wasn’t sure if any of that mattered anymore. He was faced with the dilemma of hanging his family’s reputation on the line for a girl he had just started dating. Was it really worth the trouble?

;

It had barely been a few minutes since I had left the crowd but my feet were already tired. The fact that I was running in dang hye (traditional slippers) didn’t help either. I was too busy trying to keep up with the man in front of me that I failed to notice Minyoung calling my name.

“Ah…” I halted, doubling over and gasping for air.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“M-My grandfather collapsed and was t-taken to the hospital.” I stammered, feeling a lump form in my throat.

Before Minyoung could respond, the man snatched my arm and started running again.

“Let’s hurry! We have no time to waste!” he urged.

After the two left, Minyoung began to feel the knot of guilt slowly swallow her entire being, knowing she would be responsible for what was about to happen to her classmate.

;

The Fire & Light Festival was only seconds away from reaching its climax. All of the participants were back in a circular formation, waving around their torches in a martial manner. Just when Yeosang thought he had finally managed to concentrate on his moves, his bracelet suddenly broke. The red beads scattered everywhere, hitting the ground like daggers.

His mind replayed the image of Yeseul running away with the man.

_She’s in danger._

Yeosang removed his mask and flung it to the floor. He broke away from the rest and sprinted off in the direction she had disappeared, torch in hand.

Upon seeing the leader of the show flee unexpectedly, people in the crowd started murmuring amongst themselves in confusion and surprise. Everyone had stopped what they were doing, including Yeosang’s friends, San, Mingi, and Wooyoung.

“Yeosang! Hey!” Yunho shouted, chasing after him.

The blond boy was notoriously fast at running. He leapt down the steep stairs effortlessly as Yunho followed him from behind.

“Where are you going?! Hey! Yeosang!” Yunho yelled.

;

After running for what felt like ages, we finally arrived at the man’s car, which was parked somewhat far away from the festivities. We hopped in and he started driving. Strangely enough, he was going at a pace that seemed way less urgent than all the running we did. I looked out the window to find not a single hospital in sight, only fields and abandoned farms in the dark.

“Um, are you sure this is the way to the hospital?” I asked anxiously, not wanting to assume the worst.

“It’s a shortcut. Besides, it’s a small hospital for emergencies only so you might not know it.” he replied, perhaps a little too cheerfully.

“Oh… okay.” I nodded as I sunk back in my seat.

I felt uneasy. I found it peculiar how my parents trusted someone we barely knew to escort me to them.

;

“Yeosang!” Minyoung cried out as she saw the blond boy dash down the steps. He made a u-turn and ran back up to the girl.

“Hey. Did you see where Yeseul went?” he asked, his eyes wide in panic.

“Y-Yeah, she said her grandfather c-collapsed so she was going to the hospital with this guy!” she stuttered.

“What? Are you talking about old man Choi? I saw him looking for a dog just a while ago though.” Yunho mentioned, pointing to the park.

“Then where did they go?” Yeosang questioned, towering over the scared girl.

“Th-They rode a car together!” she pointed east, avoiding eye contact with him.

“WHAT KIND OF CAR?!” the boy bellowed, feeling his impatience simmer over.

“It was a b-blue car with a b-bicycle and a license plate from Seoul-” Minyoung stammered, shaking as she tried to recall the details to the best of her ability under pressure.

Yeosang dropped his extinguished torch and bolted as soon as the words left her mouth, jumping down the high ledge that separated them from the winding roads leading to the hills.

Within seconds, Minyoung fell to her knees, causing Yunho to drop down and ask if she was okay.

“It’s… It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have told him anything.” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

“What do you mean?” Yunho asked.

“I told that man… where Yeseul was. I was envious to see her doing so well with Yeosang, while I couldn’t make any progress with him, even though I’ve liked him all these years. I’m so immature-”

“Hey, hey, don’t beat yourself down for it. Yeosang will bring her back and everything will be alright, okay?” Yunho looked into Minyoung’s eyes, patting her shoulder to console her.

“I just… hope she’s safe.” she sniffled.

“I do too…” Yunho added, staring off into the black, starless sky.

;

“Yeseul. Can you listen to me without getting scared?”

I turned to look at the man in the driver’s seat, afraid of what he was about to say.

“Ever since you debuted as a model, I’ve felt a strange connection to you. Almost like fate.” he confessed.

My heart started pounding against my chest rapidly and my breathing grew erratic. I frantically searched for a way to escape the car.

“I hope you don’t think I’m weird. I think I have the right to be together with you. But you kissed another boy behind my back, didn’t you?”

All the memories I had with Yeosang raced through my head: drowning in the ocean, running away to Seoul together, the spontaneous bike excursion at dawn, our date today. Up until this point, I realized that I had taken everything that had happened between us for granted. I shut my eyes and found myself desperately wishing for his company right now. He would know what to do.

The man had stopped driving when we came to a dead end. We were surrounded by nothing but rocks and grass.

“I’ll let you off the hook because I’ll consider that as practice for today.” he remarked in an unsettling tone.

I froze, watching him put the car in park and take off his seatbelt.

“Now this is the real deal.”

Before I could move, he pulled me into his arms.

“Be obedient, and you won’t get hurt, okay?” he threatened, looking me in the eyes.

I trembled, trying to figure out how to get myself out of this trap.

“Come on, don’t be scared. Smile for me, like you do in your photos.” he prodded.

“NO!” I pushed him away and unfastened my seatbelt.

“Yeseul, no! Yeseul, you’ve got it all wrong!” he yelled, trying to embrace me again, but I slammed my elbow into his face and yanked open the car door, running away as fast as I could.

It was hard to see where I was going exactly, but I crossed a bridge that was surrounded by willow trees. I found a ditch underneath the bridge, so I quickly slid down the slope before landing in the brook. I decided to hide there, shaking in fear and praying he wouldn’t find me.

;

Yeosang kept running until he could no longer feel the fire in his feet. In a rush, he passed by the blue car, but quickly recognized it as the one Minyoung had described. Yeosang backtracked and dashed toward it, which was wide open but with no one to be seen.

“Damn it!” he cursed, kicking the tire in frustration.

He decided to keep looking and soon crossed a bridge that hung over a stream.

“Yeseul!” he shouted out.

;

I froze and stopped moving when I heard Yeosang’s voice calling my name.

“Yeosang?” I strained my head to find where the voice came from.

“Yeosang!” I yelled louder.

The blond boy peered down, holding onto the frame of the bridge. He rushed over to the edge of the ditch and laid down, stretching out his hand for me to take. But the slope was too high and I couldn’t reach him. We struggled to grab a hold of each other’s hands.

“Come on, Yeseul. Just a little more.” he encouraged.

Our fingertips almost touched when the man from earlier came into view and slammed Yeosang’s body with a large rock. I screamed in sheer terror.

“STOP IT, YOU’RE HURTING HIM!” I cried.

He turned Yeosang over and sat on top of him, punching his face over and over again, effectively rendering him immobile. Unable to do much from the bottom of the ditch, I started to run away in search of help, hoping there would be at least one person around to save us from that psychopath. But the further I ran away, the more cowardly I felt for not being able to protect Yeosang like I promised. Somewhere along the way, I gave up and dropped to my knees. I sobbed uncontrollably into my dress, my tears becoming one with the water running beneath my feet.

Shortly after, a pair of unwelcome arms wrapped around my shoulders.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yeseul.”

“NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I shrieked, trying to resist his efforts with all my might.

I attempted to get up, but the man pinned me down with his body, which was twice as strong as mine.

“It’s alright, Yeseul.”

“PLEASE STOP!” I cried, squirming underneath his firm grip.

“I can make you happy.”

;

Yeosang turned over onto his side, struggling to breathe. No matter how hard he tried to get up, he found himself unable to move. His body had been damaged severely by the other man.

Although he was aching and bleeding badly, what hurt Yeosang more was that he couldn’t respond to Yeseul’s pleas for help. He pounded the grass in remorse with tears rolling down his face, ashamed and angry at himself for failing to protect the girl that he loved.

“Sir, are you okay?”

A flash of light shone in his direction. Someone was shaking his shoulder from above.

The local police had come after receiving reports of a suspicious car and a commotion by the bridge.

“What happened?” one of the policemen asked, concerned about Yeosang’s physical state.

“Down… below…” Yeosang pointed to the ditch listlessly.

The policemen hurried over to the site, where the man was about to take off Yeseul’s clothes.

;

“We’re more alike than you think, Yeseul.” he breathed, snaking his hand under my dress.

I no longer had any energy left to fight back. I closed my eyes shut tightly in fear.

“Let’s be adults together. Just relax,” he whispered, his fingers swiftly undoing the ribbon Yeosang had tied for me earlier, exposing my top half.

“You’re so soft-”

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing over there?!”

A team of policemen with flashlights came storming down, yanking the man off of me.

“Hold on for a bit, okay? We called your family and they’re on their way here.” one of the policemen reassured me.

Before I knew it, I could hear my parents’ voices shouting my name.

“Yeseul-ah!” my dad yelled.

“Dad…” I called weakly, reaching for my dad’s hand as the police pulled me out of the ditch.

“Yeseul, I’m so sorry for being late. You’re safe now.” he apologized, hugging me while I cried into his shoulder.

I could hear Yeosang crying a few feet away from me too. I turned around to see him holding onto one of the paramedics, whimpering in agony. This was the first time I had ever seen him so vulnerable, and it pained me to know that I was the reason he ended up this way.

I knew that things would no longer be the same between us after this night.


End file.
